Ami Ayalon, who led Shin Bet from 1995 to 2000, told The Times that recognition by Britain and other countries is not “a great gift to Hamas” but “a nightmare of [for] Hamas. Western moves toward recognition have drawn sharp rebukes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called such steps a reward for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Ayalon, 80, a decorated veteran who won Israel’s Medal of Valour in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, said military action alone cannot secure a lasting peace. And the military commanders understand that — they are saying it loud and clear to the Israeli people,” he told The Times. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood as potentially rewarding Hamas, underscoring the diplomatic tightrope Western capitals face as they balance pressure on Israel with support for a negotiated settlement.