Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a clarion call that no civilized society can afford to ignore: stand with Israel, or stand with terror. In a message that cuts through the fog of hypocritical diplomacy and moral cowardice, Netanyahu has reminded the world that Israel is not merely fighting Hamas or Hezbollah—it is confronting a far larger, more sinister force: global Islamic jihadism.
In recent days, the West’s selective outrage has reached grotesque levels. France’s call for an arms embargo on Israel is not just misguided—it is shameful. Netanyahu rightly asked: Have these very Western powers ever demanded an embargo on the arms flowing freely to terror outfits like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or the myriad Islamist militias funded and sheltered by Iran, Qatar, and parts of Pakistan? The answer is a deafening silence.
Let us be clear. Israel is surrounded by hostile forces—some state-sponsored, others stateless jihadist proxies. From Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to Yemen’s Houthis, from Syrian militias to Palestinian Islamic Jihad—this is a war of survival. Not just for Israel, but for the ideals that underpin modern civilization: democracy, religious tolerance, women’s rights, and the rule of law.
What Netanyahu has laid bare is the sheer duplicity of Western elites. They clamour for ceasefires and moral equivalence while ignoring who started the war and why. Terrorists launch rockets from schoolyards and hospitals. They use civilians as shields, then parade the casualties as evidence of Israeli “aggression.” And yet, somehow, it is Israel that is asked to show restraint while under daily attack.
Even worse, much of this is cloaked in the language of “international humanitarian concern”—a fig leaf for appeasement. France’s suggestion of cutting arms to Israel, while failing to cut diplomatic and financial ties with terrorist-sponsoring regimes, is a betrayal not just of Israel but of the West’s own moral compass. As Netanyahu pointed out, if terrorists can be armed and supplied through backdoor deals and black markets, why is the only democracy in the Middle East being asked to fight with one hand tied behind its back?
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, for all his flaws, understood the stakes. His administration’s unwavering support for Israel wasn’t just symbolic—it was strategic. He recognized that Israel is the first trench in a broader civilizational battle against radical Islamism. Backing Israel meant defending America’s own interests, values, and allies. The Abraham Accords and the strong ties forged during his presidency were a testament to a world where moral clarity had not yet been sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.
Today, as Israel fights on multiple fronts against an arc of Islamist terror stretching from Tehran to Beirut to Sana’a, Netanyahu’s appeal must serve as a wake-up call. This is not just Israel’s war. It is a war against the forces that behead journalists, enslave women, silence dissent, and dream of caliphates, not countries. If the West won’t stand with Israel, then it is choosing, knowingly or otherwise, to side with those who seek to dismantle everything that free societies hold dear.
History will not be kind to those who chose neutrality in the face of evil. Israel is not asking for boots on the ground—it is asking for the moral and material support that every nation has a right to when facing annihilation. The West must stop sermonizing and start acting. It must understand that appeasing terror emboldens it.
In Netanyahu’s words, this is a war for civilization—and the civilized world must choose a side before it’s too late. He spoke with unflinching resolve: Israel will win, with or without external support. Kudos to Benjamin Netanyahu, who today echoes the tone of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—firm in asserting that while war is never the first option, crushing terrorism to save humanity may be unavoidable.
Modi, ever the strategist, is unlikely to be swayed by Donald Trump’s newfound affection for Pakistan. As veteran Indian diplomat Deepak Vora rightly observed, Trump’s overtures are less about Islamabad and more about Tehran—using Pakistani soil as a launchpad to engineer regime change in Iran without putting American boots on the ground. How this geopolitical gamble plays out remains to be seen. But with Russia offering to mediate and China’s telling silence, both powers seem to tacitly acknowledge the legitimacy of Israel’s actions.
