Douglas Murray speaks to Ynet
(Video: Shmulik Davidpur)
Renowned British author and journalist Douglas Murray is currently receiving exceptional recognition for his outspoken pro-Israel stance and his vocal criticism of pro-Palestinian views regarding the ongoing war. He has become one of the most prominent journalists associated with supporting Israel's actions and responding to Hamas' crimes.
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In an exclusive interview with Ynet, he stated, "All I've tried to do since the Hamas massacres of two weeks ago, is to tell the truth and to try to remind people in Britain and the wider West of who the aggressors are here."
"I'm amazed at the response of so many people, Jews in the diaspora and of course Israelis, and very touched by it," Murray said. "But at the same time, I'm alarmed by it, because all that I've said is all that I think any decent, non-Jew observer of the situation should see and say. And I am genuinely ashamed and shocked by the response of so many people, the silence of so many people outside Israel to these atrocities."
"They gave minutes to the atrocities themselves and then went straight on to Israel's response. I think it shows not a problem for Israel. But a problem for countries like the country I'm from Britain and many other countries in the West."
More than once you've been asked, especially by the British media, regarding Israel's actions, and if they were proportionate. Why do you think they're so obsessed with this issue?
"It is extraordinary, as I've repeatedly pointed out to the British and other media. They are obsessed with this idea of proportionality and conflict, but only when it comes to Israel responding to Hamas or to any other enemy of Israel. My own view is that, of course, proportionality and conflict is a total nonsense. It, as I've pointed out in several interviews, a proportionate response, in this case, would be Israel going and decapitating precisely the same number of babies that Hamas decapitated or going into Gaza, and abducting and raping precisely the same number of women that Hamas raped. Of course, Israel wouldn't do that, but the whole idea is that obscenity that you can only respond proportionately to such barbarism."
"And of course, Britain and other countries, when we've had conflicts. We exercise restraint and skill as Israel does, but I think that the whole idea that Israel has to be lectured about proportionality is really just an attempt by countries who are friends of Israel but also have domestic problems. If they are too friendly to Israel to say effectively - 'You're allowed to do something in the face of such horror, but do fight with one arm behind your back, won't you? You know, be good chaps' - and I think that's outrageous from an ally."
In the past, you said that Israel is the only country that isn't allowed to win. Could you explain that?
"Yes, absolutely, in my view and I've covered wars involving Israel as I have wars across the rest of the world for a couple of decades now. And what I'm always stunned by in every way, it's with the exchanges in Gaza or wherever else is that the international community says to Israel, you know, you have an aggressor who attacks you, and you're allowed to do something in response that effectively gets you to the status quo just before the moment you were attacked, but nothing more. Which means that Israel has this endless yet and my view is that the Gaza situation since 2005 has been intolerable. Unfortunately, Israelis and others have tolerated the situation, and have tolerated the Rockets, but why should Israel have had to tolerate the Rockets? We would not have had to tolerate the Rockets in Britain if they'd been coming from a neighbor."