The fantasy of recognizing a nonexistent state

With Britain, France, Canada, and Australia promising(?) or threatening(?) to recognize Palestine, let’s ask what that means, and how it helps.

Almost 150 U.N. members already recognize as a state something that is not a state, and is not even a member of the United Nations. 

They might as well be recognizing the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. Don’t recognize that country? Click this link

There is no country called Grand Fenwick, and there is no independent state called Palestine. There never has been. There is a territory, or, to be precise, two territories.

For a territory to actually be a “state,” it must meet certain minimum thresholds.

Such as being a defined territory with recognized borders, a permanent population, a recognized central government, sovereignty, perhaps even currency and a flag.

Arab Palestinians have a flag, and a permanent population. That’s it.

It does not have recognized borders, it has two warring governing authorities, with neither being sovereign — the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank, and terrorist Hamas in Gaza. Palestine has no national currency. It is a state only in the imagination of those who wish it to be so.

Although the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Australia use different justifications for offering recognition, one common motive seems to be punishing Israel for its conduct in Gaza. Its conduct has been brutal, an understandable if not acceptable reaction to the Oct. 7 massacre of Jews (and others) by Hamas, which governs Gaza.

How does recognizing a nonexistent entity help anyone?

It doesn’t. It rewards the aggressor and encourages Hamas to continue the unwinnable war, and to hold on to the dying hostages, which is uses as pawns.

Peace is not possible with Hamas in charge. That was recently recognized by the Arab League, which in a stunning announcement called for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power. That statement was joined by the European Union, and another 17 nations.

Not that Hamas will obey, but that declaration made demands on the aggressor, not the victim.

Most American Jews favor a hypothetical two-state solution to end hostilities between Jews and Arabs, with a slim majority actually favoring restrictions on arms sales to the Jewish state.

Why? Because three-quarters of American Jews are liberal. They loathe conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, who has included right-wing religious extremists in his cabinet.

Netanyahu opposes the two-state solution, but alternatives may be worse. They are:

Continue the status quo, with most of the world accusing Israel of “occupying” Arab land on what is called the West Bank, which Jewish “settlers” (they prefer “residents”)  believe is land granted to the Jewish people by God. I base that on reporting I have done from the West Bank. 

Create a unified Jewish and Arab democratic state. Truly a nonstarter because Arab birth rates are much higher than Jewish. Israel would soon be Arab majority, and no longer the world’s only Jewish state. Also, Arabs and democracy do not mix well, as you will see.

Annex the West Bank, with Arabs lacking full rights. That would be inconsistent with democracy and would be the actual apartheid state Israel is now falsely accused of running. Arabs in Israel are full citizens, with full rights. There are anti-Israel political parties, and Arab members of Israel’s parliament, called the Knesset. Arabs have been on Israel’s supreme court, and have represented Israel in international beauty contests. They are Israelis.

Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank do not live in Israel and are not citizens. They are no more entitled to “rights” in Israel than Canadians would have in the U.S.

Arabs in Gaza elected Hamas as their representative in 2006. And quickly chased their opponents out of Gaza.

There have been no elections since then.

In charge of the West Bank, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2006 to a four-year term. There have been no elections since then. His party is known for epidemic corruption, as well as paying blood money to the families of suicide bombers.

In short, the Palestinian people are represented by two governments, neither of which has sovereignty over its territory.

So which Palestine will be recognized by the U.K., France, Canada, and Australia — the corrupt P.A., or the terrorist Hamas? Good intentions can bring bad results.

When we talk about the “two-state solution,” we usually mean Israel and Palestine. But what is the “two-state solution” between the warring West Bank and Gaza?

I favor a two-state solution, but that supposes mutual trust and respect.

After the enormous blood-letting, caused by Hamas, I see a two-state solution as likely as President Donald J. Trump’s day dream of turning Gaza into the Riviera.

It will take a generation for the hate on both sides to subside.