This reflects a sense on much of the right that the country is part of the Western project, as well as a reaction against political Islam.
At least 13 members of his front bench are in open revolt. As I write, that’s sustainable. As matters develop, it may not be.
But if such a programme extends beyond stemming the flow of cash (or at least attempting to do so), it is once again going to come back to law and enforcement. And that is thorny ground.
One can give the police more legal powers, update the official definition of extremism, and all that. But it won’t produce different outcomes without a sea-change in how senior officers approach public order policing.
Sir Keir’s choice is between not sacking front bench dissenters, so inviting claims of weakness, and doing so – thus provoking accusations of over-reacting.
“If it were this country, and it was in proportion, we’d be talking about ten thousand people killed… and how would we react?”
“I don’t think we have to do that. There are already structures in place, there is international law that is well established.”
We should own up: we don’t put a flag in our windows because we don’t want a brick through the glass. Equally, lapel pins are out: who wants to invite abuse? Intimidated, good people are doing nothing.
As is so often the case with international law and institutions, noble ideals bely a necessarily fractious and often shabby reality.
This way of thinking also contrasts with the naive counting of the civilian dead. In this tradition, war can be a necessary evil, but that judgement requires attention to its practical consequences.
Perhaps most importantly of all, a carefully calibrated and adaptive approach by the UK to Israel could help constrain the cycle of escalation that is all too familiar in the Middle East.
The sum total of all this is that Hunt’s wiggle room for tax cuts this Autumn is shrinking even further.
Our Atlantic partners might be a bit mad, but they still care – about their country, about its future. Polarisation has its many negative effects, but one of its positives is its ability to galvanise that passion.
What Sir Keir and Labour MPs say in the Commons is worth keeping an eye on.
I have written to university leaders, and will ask the Office for Students to investigate whether official responses to hateful conduct or open support for Hamas have been appropriate.