On Democracy and Death Cults a provocative study of the Israel-Hamas conflict

Douglas Murray’s new book dives deep into Israel’s existential struggle to survive and the failure of Western humanitarianism

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Douglas Murray’s On Democracy and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization is a sharp critique of the West’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict. It examines the implications of Israel’s struggle for survival within a broader context of modern warfare, Western idealism, and the geopolitics of the Middle East.

Through firsthand accounts, Murray highlights the choice Israel faces—life versus death—and contrasts this with Hamas’s embrace of destruction. In his view, Israel’s conflict is not merely political but a profound existential struggle, one that underscores the choice for life in a region increasingly dominated by forces of violence.

Murray is a British author, journalist and political commentator, known for his provocative views on issues like immigration, identity politics and the decline of Western civilization. He is the associate director of the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy think tank, and has authored several influential books, including The Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds. His outspoken commentary has made him a polarizing figure, drawing both admiration and criticism for his critiques of modern political and cultural issues. Murray’s style and approach in this book are no different: candid, uncompromising, and often controversial.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, as Murray presents it, is deeply rooted in historical, political and religious tensions. At its core, it involves Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state and the Palestinians’ ongoing struggle for self-determination. Gaza, under the control of Hamas, remains a flashpoint of violence, with no clear resolution in sight. While Israel fights to protect its citizens, Hamas continues its assault, fueled by its ideologically driven agenda. This situation is exacerbated by Iran’s imperial ambitions and the failure of Western humanitarian idealism to truly understand the complexities on the ground.

Murray’s book is more than just a journalistic account of the conflict—it is a commitment to chronicling the lives of those caught in the crossfire. He draws on the tradition of great journalists like Vasily Grossman, who covered the Soviet Union during the Second World War, and Oriana Fallaci, known for her fierce interviews and commentary on the Islamic world. Murray, like these predecessors, is not just reporting events but advocating for the people he portrays. As he writes, “Someone might ask: ‘Why write about this, why remember all that? It is the writer’s duty to tell this terrible truth, and it is the civilian duty of the reader to learn it.’”

Through his exploration of the conflict, Murray critiques the Western worldview that has developed since the Second World War. He argues that this worldview idealizes war as a disruptive, unnecessary event that should be avoided at all costs.

Murray suggests that while this humanitarian perspective is well-intentioned, it fails to account for the harsh realities of war, particularly in the Middle East. War, in the West’s eyes, is no longer seen as a tool for resolving political disputes but as an anomaly to be prevented. This humanitarian idealism, he argues, leads to the perpetual management of conflicts rather than their resolution. The focus shifts to managing suffering and humanitarian aid, while the deeper political and military causes of conflict are left unresolved.

One of the most powerful aspects of Murray’s critique is his examination of the “distant spectator.” This figure, according to Murray, is a self-designated observer who, often armed with aid reports, international law, and moral platitudes, passes judgment on military actions from the comfort of a distant, unaffected location. This figure fails to understand the complexities of life in the region, where violence is a constant reality, and where decisions made on the ground often have far more immediate and consequential impacts than any academic theory or legal framework could.

In addition to critiquing Western humanitarianism, Murray addresses the broader ideological conflict between imperialism and anticolonialism, an issue that is frequently brought up in discussions about Israel. Some have long vilified Israel as a colonial power, but Murray contends that this view is a simplistic, ideologically driven oversimplification. He points out that the real imperial powers in the region today are Iran and Turkey, which have been pursuing expansionist policies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and even Gaza. These powers, Murray argues, pose a far greater threat to regional stability than Israel, which is, in fact, responding to the existential threat posed by these very forces.

Murray’s analysis sheds light on the failure of Western humanitarianism to address the real imperial ambitions at play in the Middle East. He emphasizes that Israel is often unfairly painted as a colonial power while nations like Iran, which have aggressively expanded their influence in the region, are allowed to continue their imperial actions largely unchecked. Murray calls for a more nuanced understanding of the conflict, one that takes into account the full scope of power dynamics in the region.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the ideological foundations of Zionism, a subject that is central to the debate over Israel’s legitimacy. While Zionism is often reduced to a simplistic and negative stereotype, Murray traces its origins to the 19th century, shaped by a mix of socialist, syndicalist, and nationalist ideas. He connects the movement’s evolution to key historical events, such as the Dreyfus Affair—a political scandal in late 19th-century France in which a Jewish army officer was wrongfully convicted of treason—which solidified the need for a Jewish state, and critiques the ongoing debate about whether anti-Zionism can be separated from antisemitism. Murray argues that contemporary criticisms of Zionism often rely on circular arguments and assumptions that are rarely examined critically.

In the book’s conclusion, Murray returns to the central theme of life versus death. Reflecting on his personal experiences in Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks, he highlights the resilience of Israelis, who, despite the constant threat of violence, continue to choose life.

This powerful contrast between those who seek life and those who embrace death runs throughout the book. Murray casts himself in the tradition of journalists who not only report but advocate for the cause of those fighting for life in the face of terror and destruction.

Collin May is a Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a lawyer, and Adjunct Lecturer in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, with degrees in law (Dalhousie University), a Masters in Theological Studies (Harvard) and a Diplome d’etudes approfondies (Ecole des hautes etudes, Paris).