The bulk of our Morning Brief focuses on Britain’s shameful surrender to Hamas. But our main story focuses on another shameful surrender: Britain’s broken will is causing it to give up vital sea gates around the world—making the world more dangerous. Read more in “Throwing Away the Keys.”

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Britain wants to force Israel to surrender to Hamas. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his plan to recognize a Palestinian state. Rumors said he would pledge to recognize an independent state if certain conditions were met. These were presumed to be a set of conditions on Hamas. Instead, he issued an ultimatum to Israel. Israel must:

• Agree to a ceasefire
• Allow the United Nations to retake control of aid
• Make clear there will be no annexation of the West Bank
• Commit to a long-term, sustainable peace based on the two-state solution

Not only does this reward Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attack by giving it the recognition it has wanted for years, it also encourages Hamas not to release the hostages. Setting them free jeopardizes Hamas’s chance for an independent state.

“Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “A jihadist state on Israel’s border today will threaten Britain tomorrow. Appeasement toward jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too.”

“This, truly, is a new low for this government,” wrote Brendan O’Neill. “It is moral blackmail masquerading as diplomacy. It is a barely veiled threat against a supposed ally. Starmer is essentially telling Israel that unless it lays down its arms, Britain will reward its enemies. This will go down in history as one of the most scandalous betrayals of a ‘friend’ of modern times.”

In his speech, Starmer spread the familiar lie that Israel is deliberately starving the Palestinians. In truth, it is trying to wrest control of Gaza’s food supply away from Hamas, as this is a key source of power. “By demonizing Israel in this way, Starmer is further fueling the rampaging Jew-hatred which is consuming the country he leads,” wrote Melanie Phillips.

Starmer is probably doing this for his own domestic politics rather than out of hatred for Israel. His party receives a lot of Muslim votes. Unless he shifts in an anti-Israel direction, he risks losing them. But his decision is evil nonetheless. “Today’s accomplices to barbarism aren’t dressed in jackboots or the shades and braid of a junta generalissimo,” concluded Phillips. “They wear the suit and earnest spectacles of a human rights lawyer. It is today’s banality of evil, and it is frying the Western brain.”

“Threats in the world are increasing,” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in 2021. “Other nations are betraying and attacking America and Britain and Israel. Many Bible prophecies show these trends will intensify. In a world this hostile, Britain, America and the Jewish nation of Israel need to stick together and to turn toward God. But they are splitting from God and from each other. There will be no helper for Israel—not even from other modern Israelite nations” (ibid).

This betrayal is prophesied in your Bible. To learn more, read our article “Israel: A Brother Betrayed.”

British police raped Rotherham’s sex abuse victims, the BBC reported yesterday. The police and local authorities infamously turned a blind eye while gangs of Muslim men abused vulnerable girls in Rotherham and many other towns. Now the scandal just got a whole lot worse. Five girls said they were also raped by local police. One said that the officer would threaten to hand her over to the gangs to be gang-raped if she did not do what he wanted. Others traded drugs for sex. When one of these girls finally had her case heard by the authorities, one of the policemen assigned was her attacker. He ripped up her statement and threw it away—and that was the end of it.

Only one of these policemen was named: Hassan Ali. Ali died in a car accident right after he was suspended from duty.

The whole story has been a cesspit of evil. Many of these girls were orphans or had parents who couldn’t look after them. They were failed by society at every level—and even now the story is covered up. A new law, with the laudatory goal of preventing children from accessing pornography, means that many in the United Kingdom can’t even read about what went on in Rotherham without uploading a copy their ID. I don’t think we have the full story on what happened, and I have major questions about the religious backgrounds of the other policemen that carried out these attacks. Yet political correctness and avoiding offense to certain minorities has repeatedly been prioritized over protecting little girls.

“From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1:6). That is exactly what this scandal exposes. This is why God is punishing Britain. We need this correction before we will look to God for healing.

IN OTHER NEWS

Much of the Pacific was on tsunami alert after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Millions were evacuated across Japan, Hawaii and California, though the tsunami was milder than anticipated. Why do “natural” disasters occur? We have a book that answers that.

The German government has approved the 2026 federal budget, which is heavily reliant on new debt. On Wednesday, the cabinet backed a €520.5 billion (US$600.3 billion) spending plan, including €174 billion in new debt—due to rising defense costs and investment needs. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil warned of strict austerity measures in 2027. Germany aims to revive its struggling economy through debt and a renewed focus on its military industry. Bible prophecy indicates Germany will reemerge as a military power and industrial giant with intense labor demands—including a six-day workweek.

What was Witkoff telling Araghchi? Iranian state media uploaded an interview of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to its YouTube channel on Sunday. Araghchi admitted in the interview that during the “12-day war” with Israel and the United States, he had “direct and ongoing contact with U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff throughout the conflict via messaging apps,” according to Iran International. Such news adds to the intrigue surrounding how far Witkoff is willing to negotiate with unsavory regimes.

Germany will establish an air bridge to Gaza, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Monday. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will coordinate efforts with France and the UK. On Tuesday, Germany deployed two A400M transport aircraft to Jordan for this purpose. Why is Germany pushing its own initiative instead of supporting Israel’s? Our In Brief has more.