On Democracies and Death Cults by Douglas Murray

On Democracies and Death Cults

Israel and the Future of Civilization

Douglas Murray, Broadside Books

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · April 8, 2025

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In his travels through Israel and Gaza, #1 International Bestselling author Douglas Murray has seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer, and he has no trouble choosing a side.

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Who it’s for
An edgy, argument-forward read about democracy, radical politics, and civilization.
Genres
Israel & Palestine History, Middle Eastern Politics, Terrorism & Counterterrorism
Published
HarperCollins, April 8, 2025

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About this book

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In his travels through Israel and Gaza, #1 International Bestselling author Douglas Murray has seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer, and he has no trouble choosing a side. Murray is not Jewish and before October 7, he had never lived in Israel. However, he objects to being lied to, and Israel has been on the receiving end of the biggest, deepest, longest lies in history.

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Israel's commitment to fundamental Western values—capitalism, individual rights, democracy, and reason—has made it a beacon of progress in a region dominated by authoritarianism and extremism. Israel’s principles vividly contrast with the ideology of Hamas, which openly proclaims its love of death over life. With incisive moral clarity, On Democracies and Death Cults exposes how the campus left and international establishment confuse this conflict by: - Calling on Israel for restraint and proportionality, while Hamas commits genocide. - Slandering Israelis as white colonialists, while only a third of Israelis are Jews of European ancestry. - Framing the conflict as oppressor vs. oppressed, when it is really between a thriving multi-ethnic democracy and a death cult bent on its annihilation. Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Douglas Murray places the latest violence in its proper historical context. He takes readers on a harrowing journey through the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, piecing together the exclusive accounts from victims, survivors, and even the terrorists responsible for the atrocities. If left unchecked, misplaced sympathy could embolden forces that seek to undermine not only Israel, but all of Western civilization.

Hard Edges

An edgy, argument-forward read about democracy, radical politics, and civilization.

Come here for

  • edgy political argument
  • immersion in a civilizational frame

Expect

  • sharp provocation
  • high-stakes political framing

Where it sits

Terrorism & Counterterrorism56%
Israel & Palestine History48%
Middle Eastern Politics41%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Western European History
  • Israel & Palestine History
  • Democracy
  • Human Rights
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Terrorism & Counterterrorism
  • Political Commentary
  • Middle Eastern Politics
  • Geopolitics
Authors
Douglas Murray, Broadside Books
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
April 8, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Western European History