First, Hamas is a significant obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians, a settlement which Europe believes to be possible and vital. Saving Hamas from disgrace is thus not in Europe's vital interests. Acting to stop Israel, by contrast, is against Europe's interests and the demonstrators who demand this, often violently, clearly serve someone else's interest. Second, and more importantly, since Hamas has become a wholly-owned Iranian franchise, and it is in Europe's vital interests to contain Tehran's ambitions in the Middle East, Europe should see to it that Iran's proxies get a rough beating. Everyone who has Europe's vital interests at heart should welcome Europe's inability to stop Israel before it had achieved its military goals. An Israeli failure to deal Hamas a huge blow would spell more problems for Europe. Israel declared a ceasefire only when Hamas was on its knees, not when Europe demanded it. That, ironically, is in Europe's true interest.