At a recent UN conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, the 22-member Arab League, the entire European Union, and another 17-odd countries backed a declaration calling for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in Gaza. On paper, that would be a miracle. In reality, there are higher odds that it is a mirage.
Terrific: If It is Real
The Arab League signing onto disarming Hamas might mean they have run out of patience for Iranian and Muslim Brotherhood proxies. That would be good for the entire world. But nobody has ever mistaken me for an optimist here.
Imagine, just imagine, the UN, EU, and Arab League not just talking about but actually helping Palestinians escape their real oppressors.
It would be a monumental shift for Palestinian leadership: from trying to kill Jews to trying to improve Palestinian lives. A government selected without gun barrels at polling stations. No more paying salaries to terrorists. Schools teach math instead of martyrdom. Harnessing Palestinian talent to build an economy instead of a war machine. All of this for simply recognizing Israel’s right to exist, disarming the terrorists, and returning the hostages.
The money is there. In the past the UN, EU, and Arab League have spent billions funding terrorism. Redirecting those funds to real infrastructure and education would transform Gaza within a generation.
From their lips to God’s ears.
Worrisome: Although history cannot accurately predict the future, it is a better indicator than simply hope, thoughts and prayers
The same organizations making this declaration have spent decades funding, excusing, and even employing terrorists. They have ignored the corruption that robs Palestinians blind. They have backed “aid” programs that build rockets, not roads. History says they will issue statements, hold conferences, then move on as Hamas quietly re-arms.
And now, some nations, notably France, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are planning to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally. No negotiations with Israel. No precondition that Hamas be gone. No release of the remaining hostage. No disarmament. No peace deal at all.
Put all of this through the October 7 test:
- Would unilateral recognition have prevented October 7? No.
- Would a declaration from the UN have prevented it? No.
- Would recognizing a state controlled by terrorists have prevented it? No.
- Would dismantling Hamas’ military and political power have prevented it? Yes.
Unilateral recognition fails this test. This not so well-intended action requires nothing from Hamas or Fatah (the Palestinian Authority which rules the West Bank). It is the result of left-wing governments caving to their even further left minority and the threat of Muslim extremism. It is a gift to the ungrateful and it is a reward for murder, torture, rape, and kidnapping.
Recognition is supposed to be the end of a peace process, not the start. Give recognition at the start, and you erase any reason for Palestinian leadership to negotiate. You do not create peace — you just turn terrorists into “diplomats” with a flag and a seat at the UN. But it does not create any changes in behavior.
The Hard Truth
The Palestinians are oppressed but it is Hamas and Fatah who are the oppressors.
This war is not about who Palestinians are. It is about what Hamas does, and the fact that much of the population supports them doing it. This is not about the land, it is about theology. That is why the Hamas charter and Fatah’s actions target Jews world-wide, not just Israelis. The unfortunate fact is that the Quran and Hadith include specific responsibilities for a Muslim to make Jihad against (i.e., kill) Jews and Christians. The Quran allows for lying if it furthers the cause of Islam. And the extremists have taken this to heart – ignoring other, contradictory parts of the Holy Scripture just like the Christian, Jewish, and Hindu zealots do with their Holy Scripture. And when those zealots are militarized and run the government, the people suffer.
Unilateral statehood rewards October 7. It gives Hamas and Fatah more leverage, more legitimacy, and more cover. And it hands the far-left Israel-haters another club to swing at the Jewish state — without getting one inch closer to peace.
Anyone who thinks Gaza, Judea, and Samaria declared as “Palestine” will end the fight is about to be disappointed. In fact, the fight will get worse. Israel has been judicious in its military response so far. Against a hostile “state,” that restraint will not survive.
My Terms for Optimism
If the UN, EU, and Arab League are serious, then they can prove it with action:
- Cut every dollar, euro, and riyal going to Hamas.
- Remove the current, corrupt, and jihadist leadership of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
- Fund independent Palestinian institutions free of terrorist control.
- Publicly back Israel’s right to finish dismantling Hamas’ war machine.
- Open immigration to the other 56 Muslim countries for any current Palestinian resident who wants to leave.
Do that, and, just maybe, Israel can pause. Until then, declarations are just words, and Israel has a job to finish. And for those who want to call this “genocide” please reflect on the reality that if that were the objective, Israel would not have needed to send any troops into Gaza and all of Gaza would be rubble. Just like Dresden, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Volgograd (Stalingrad), and Carthage among others.
Adult Language Is Possible 