Guess what, the deal to end the war has upset the ‘Gaza genocide’ mob

Owen Jones, meanwhile, made noises about colonialism, because obviously. Roshan Salih, editor of the provocative Muslim website Five Pillars, posted: “The Palestinians must reject this surrender deal.” Again, who exactly did he mean by “Palestinians”?

Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, was no less negative. His reservations were shrouded in technicalities: “No timeline to an Israeli troop withdrawal”; “indefinite rule by Palestinian technocratic administration”; “no commitment by Israel to a Palestinian State”; “no mandate for International Stabilisation Force from the UN”.

All well and good, but what about the suffering of Palestinian children? I thought that was the whole point.

It was all very confusing. It was almost as if these people did not care about the Palestinians at all, but were just using their suffering as a means to subvert the Jewish state.

It is worth recalling that aside from the demonstrations organised by Jewish groups, there have been more marches against Hamas in Gaza than on the streets of London.

The hoards of self-righteous activists seem quite happy for the war to proceed, costing the lives of civilians, so long as Hamas can remain in the driving seat and Donald Trump is not involved.

Similarly, the Greta Thunberg flotilla: When the Israelis and Italians offered to take their aid and deliver it safely to the people of Gaza alongside other humanitarian supplies, the doughty seaborne activists summarily refused.

One of the great contradictions of the digital age is that although we are exposed to images from all over the world, the most vocal of activists remain as myopic as they ever were. Only now they have more potent symbols for their own benighted political selfhood.

Do they know which river and which sea? Do they understand the difference between a jihadi and a freedom fighter? Do they have any idea what “intifada” really means?

As ever, it isn’t about the Palestinians at all. It never was. It is about using the Palestinians as a cypher for progressive politics. Appropriating them, if you will. An end to the war would mark the end of this opportunity.