Israel, Gaza and Radicalisation: Should We Really Be Surprised?
03 Oct 2025The attack on a Manchester synagogue was appalling, murderous, and indefensible. Nobody wants this. Nobody justifies this. It was a horrendous act of violence against innocent people at prayer — and the whole country should be united in grief and condemnation.
But once we have said that — and we must — we cannot ignore the question that hangs in the air: why did it happen?
The attacker, Jihad, did not act in a vacuum. MI5’s Director General, Ken McCallum, has already warned us that the war in Gaza has the potential to radicalise people here in Britain, just as the rise of ISIS once inspired lone actors to commit atrocities across Europe. He talked about the “pretty large cohort” of extremist-leaning individuals who are paying close attention to events in the Middle East — and who may be moved to act because of them.
So should it really surprise us, terrible as it is, if the actions of the State of Israel in Gaza — broadcast daily into British homes, showing the suffering of Palestinian civilians — play a part in radicalising some individuals?
This is not about excusing or justifying violence. Nothing excuses it. But if we recognised, during the ISIS years, that foreign wars could inspire British citizens to murderous extremism, why should it be different now? When bombs fall on Gaza, when children are killed, when destruction fills the news cycle, UN agencies describing as genocide are we to pretend that none of this resonates with people here — including those already teetering on the edge of extremist belief?
The Manchester synagogue attack was a tragedy. It was evil. But it may also be part of a pattern that McCallum warned us about: international violence fuelling home-grown extremism.
If that is true, then the question we must ask is not only how to tighten security at home, but also whether the cycle of violence abroad is creating dangers we can no longer ignore.
Because as horrendous as this attack was — and it was horrendous — should it really surprise us?
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Israel, Gaza and Radicalisation: Should We Really Be Surprised?
The attack on a Manchester synagogue was appalling, murderous, and indefensible. Nobody wants this. Nobody justifies this. It was a horrendous act of violence against innocent people at prayer — and the whole country should be united in grief and condemnation. But once we have said that — and we must — we cannot ignore […]