These are tough days for Israel. It has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza to pressure Hamas into releasing remaining hostages. For this it is getting snubbed by the Trump administration, and now France, the UK and Canada. Before we talk about that, I’ll mention our feature story this morning, “‘The Diamonds Are in Our Hands,’” by Jeremiah Jacques. He shares the inspiring story of an Israeli operation last summer to rescue three of the October 7 hostages.

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France has Hamas’s endorsement: After 591 days, Hamas still holds some 58 Israeli hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be still alive. Israel has had enough. It has resumed pounding Hamas, determined to end the madness.

Remember, Hamas could stop this in a moment by releasing the hostages. It refuses. Its leaders don’t care what happens to their territory or their people. But somehow, Western nations view Israel as the villain.

Yesterday France, the UK and Canada jointly announced not just their condemnation of Israel’s offensive but their intention to recognize a Palestinian state. The joint statement reads:

We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. … We call on the Israeli government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

The statement called on an immediate ceasefire from Israel and the release of all remaining hostages as “a pathway to a two-state solution.” Presumably, then, if Hamas retains hostages, Israel is not obligated to stop. But it seems this is rarely how Israel is treated.

The statement mentions a conference scheduled for June in Saudi Arabia that will “work towards the implementation of a two-state solution, which is the only way to bring long-lasting peace and security.” It concludes, “[W]e are committed to recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end.” This suggests the outcome of the June conference is already decided: These countries are committed to recognizing Palestine and want to encourage other nations to join them.

Hamas loved the statement. They responded by calling it “a significant step in the right direction.” When Hamas praises you, you know you are on the wrong side.

France, the UK and Canada have huge problems with their Muslim populations, and this may be designed to appease them. But the pro-Hamas/anti-Israel spirit is clearly spreading.

Benjamin Netanyahu responded with his own statement that was precisely accurate:

By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed, and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7, while inviting more such atrocities.

The fact that the statement singles out Netanyahu, instead of just criticizing the Israeli government, is telling. But what foreigners don’t understand is that most Israelis consider Netanyahu too soft on Hamas. Attacks on Netanyahu for fighting Hamas actually strengthen him politically.

The future of Israel and Jerusalem is deeply consequential in end-time prophecy. We watch closely for how this situation unfolds.

Keir Starmer never wanted Britain to leave the EU. But the prime minister’s party took a beating at the ballot box this month, and anything that looks like a return to the EU is deeply unpopular. Yesterday, Starmer unveiled the full details of his new deal with the EU. They are crafted to surrender to Europe without looking too radical. A few details of the deal:

• Food and agriculture: The UK will submit to EU rules. These are similar already, so it doesn’t seem like a big deal. However, ceding this control may make it impossible for Britain to sign new trade deals; it may even sink deals they have already signed.
• Climate change: Britain locked itself into the carbon trading scheme and committed to reduce carbon emissions in a manner “at least as ambitious as the EU.” Disastrous climate policies are now locked into the EU treaty.
• Fishing: Europe gets access to the UK’s fishing waters until 2038—a catastrophe for British fishermen.
• Migration: A youth mobility scheme will open the doors to mass migration from Europe.

What does Britain get? British food will travel more easily to Europe. Its defense companies will be able to sell to the EU’s $150 billion rearmament fund. And British tourists might be allowed to use the quicker e-gates when arriving in European airports. It seems Starmer isn’t much of a dealmaker.

Some biting reactions from British commentators:

• Andrew Neil, Daily Mail: “Those who thought Britain would never again be as humiliated in EU negotiations as it was when the hapless Theresa May first tried to agree our exit from the EU in the aftermath of the 2016 referendum will need to think again.”
• Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph: “The only reason a sane government would agree to such one-sided terms is if the true objective is to shift this country back into the EU orbit one step at a time, creating a series of precedents via the incremental Monnet method until the logic becomes unstoppable.”
• Robert Tombs, historian: “This ‘reset’ is depressing enough for its superficiality. But it is not just about trivial gains and losses. Above all it displays careless indifference to fundamental British values. The greatest of these is the belief that the people, finally, decide. This has been a golden thread in our history: Magna Carta; the Glorious Revolution; the Great Reform Bill; the People’s Budget; Women’s Suffrage. … But this week the people did not decide. Who did? Keir Starmer. He is counting not on popular consent but on popular apathy.”

The reality is, in turning to Brussels, the UK is really looking to Germany. Starmer’s second overseas trip after taking office was to Germany. He met with then Chancellor Olaf Scholz five times in his first two months in office. He wants back into the EU and is looking to Germany for help.

This is a dangerous—and prophetic—trend. “Britain and America are increasingly aligning themselves with Germany (modern Assyria) and it will be to our downfall—because God is going to bring it about,” wrote Gerald Flurry. This new EU deal shows a clear trend in British politics: elites seeking solutions by turning to Germany.

Pope to visit Nicaea: After centuries of division, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches are nearing reconciliation. Today is the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the Roman Empire’s first attempt to establish a state-sponsored version of Christianity. Since this anniversary is revered by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians, the late Pope Francis wanted to emphasize Catholic-Orthodox unity by celebrating it with Orthodox leaders. Death cut his plans short.

His successor, Pope Leo xiv, met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople yesterday and agreed to meet in Nicaea toward the end of November, near the Feast of Saint Andrew. The Catholic and Orthodox churches have been separated since the East-West Schism of a.d. 1054, but Leo xiv has promised to continue Francis’s legacy of pushing for Christian unity.

For over 40 years, Plain Truth editor in chief Herbert W. Armstrong forecast that the Catholic Church would pull its Orthodox sisters under its dominion. “The mighty problem of achieving [Catholic] unity is twofold,” the Plain Truth stated in November 1963. “First, it involves reconciliation of the Orthodox Schism that officially commenced in 1054 and divided the churches in the East—Greece, Russia, the Balkans and the Near East—from Rome. Second, it involves the restoration to the Roman communion all Protestantism, which developed from 1517 onward.” These events show the first of these challenges being surmounted, showing how Mr. Armstrong was right.

IN OTHER NEWS

China unveils drone mothership: The Jiu Tian is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle capable of deploying up to 100 kamikaze drones. This jet-powered uav, with a 25-meter wingspan and 7,000 km range, aims to enhance China’s capabilities in swarm tactics, surveillance and electronic warfare. It is scheduled for its first test flight next month. We are seeing the weapons of World War iii in action.

Wild weather: Storms killed 28 people and injured dozens more in three U.S. states on Friday and Saturday, Jeremiah Jacques reports. There are always lessons to be learned from such tragedies—far deeper than the one offered by climate-change missionaries.