The Oct 7th Litmus Test for Western Leaders

In the days and months after Hamas’ Oct 7 massacre, the leaders of France, the UK, and Canada filled X with statements that began with condemnation but rapidly shifted toward pressuring Israel, elevating Gazan “innocence,” and reviving the demand for a Palestinian state without negotiation. Their posts reveal a pattern the joint statement they issued this week merely formalizes.

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Five days after France, the UK, and Canada issued their joint statement pushing for a Palestinian state without Israel’s involvement, it’s worth looking back at what their leaders actually posted on X from Oct 7 onward. Their own words show how quickly initial solidarity with Israel morphed into demands, pressure, and moral equivalence — all while hostages remained underground in Gazas tunnels.

Macron: From Condemnation to “Both Sides”

Emmanuel Macron posted more than 80 times on the subject. On Oct 7 he condemned the Hamas attack and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. But by Oct 10 he was already pairing that condemnation with the familiar refrain about “legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people,” insisting Hamas does not represent them — despite the cheering crowds on Oct 7 and at every hostage exchange.

Macron repeatedly emphasized the need to distinguish Hamas from “innocent civilians,” even as he condemned Israeli strikes on Hamas‑embedded sites like hospitals. By Oct 29 — just 22 days after the massacre — he was calling for a “humanitarian truce,” celebrating French aid shipments, and saying nothing about starved hostages or the Red Crescent’s obligations toward them.

His later posts praised the release of a few hostages and mourned the Bibas family, but his overall message hardened: Israel must return to a ceasefire, support Gaza reconstruction, and accept a Palestinian state “without Hamas.” As if a Palestinian state without Hamas would pursue different goals than one with Hamas. As if the Oslo Accords and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza had not already disproven that fantasy.

His final relevant post was a condolence note after the murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram — murdered by a Hamas supporter at an event promoting humanitarian aid to Gaza. Commenters called out the hypocrisy.

Starmer: Condemnation Coupled With Pressure

Keir Starmer posted 38 times. On Oct 7 he condemned the attack unequivocally and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. But by Oct 23 he declared that Israel “never had the right” to cut off water, food, fuel, or medicine — a claim contradicted by military experts who actually understand wartime law.

Starmer consistently condemned Hamas and even wrote that nobody should mourn Yahya Sinwar. Yet he also demanded a ceasefire, insisted on humanitarian aid despite Hamas’ theft of it, and framed Gazans as uniformly innocent — ignoring the civilians who joined the invasion, atrocities, and abductions.

For him, the only solution is political: the two‑state solution. As if a Palestinian state would not have carried out the Oct 7 attack itself.

His last relevant post was the joint statement with France and Canada.

Carney: Selective Empathy and a Familiar Script

Mark Carney became Canada’s PM only in March, but he has been a public figure for decades. His first post on the subject, on Feb 5, focused on opposing “forced displacement of Palestinians” and supporting a two‑state solution. He mentioned hostages only in passing and never acknowledged their starvation or the conditions in which they are held.

He later called for their release after the murders of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz, but the rest of his posts centered on Gazan welfare. His most recent post was the joint statement with France and the UK.

The earliest relevant post I found from before he became PM was from Nov 10, 2023, quoting Elie Wiesel on the “sin” of neutrality — only for Carney to accuse that same stance of enabling “grave violations” against Gazans. Then nothing until he took office.

Trudeau: Early Condemnation, Then the Familiar Drift

Justin Trudeau condemned the Hamas attack, but his first calls were to the UAE’s president, Jordan’s king, and only then to Israel’s prime minister. He lit the Peace Tower in blue and white, but commenters immediately noted what he didn’t say: nothing about pro‑Hamas demonstrations in Canada, nothing about calling terrorists what they are.

He announced $10 million in humanitarian aid “that will not go to Hamas,” spoke with Mahmoud Abbas, and stressed humanitarian access for Palestinians, but not for hostages. By December he was already raising the two‑state solution again.

Across his many posts, he oscillated between concern for Gazans, occasional mention of hostages, and repeated invocations of “international law.”

And Now — the Push for a Palestinian State

Macron is hosting a conference in Paris ahead of the UN’s Conference for Palestine. The three leaders’ joint statement is not a surprise; it is the culmination of the shift visible in their posts from the very first days after Oct 7.

If this goes through, Hamas will have achieved a major step toward its mission. Without firing another shot.

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