Canada, France, Great Britain and others who declare they wish to recognize a Palestinian state gravely erred.
By Rachel Avraham
As international voices grow louder calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the West stands at a dangerous crossroads: to uphold principles of peace, democracy, and accountability — or to surrender to political symbolism and terror appeasement.
Behind the rhetoric of “justice for Palestinians” lies a stark and inconvenient truth: the current Palestinian leadership — fractured between the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist group Hamas — is neither capable of statehood nor committed to peaceful coexistence.
The world watched in horror as Hamas launched a barbaric assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, slaughtering over 1,200 civilians, including babies, women, and the elderly. The attack was not just a massacre — it was a statement of intent from a movement that has never accepted Israel’s existence and continues to glorify death over diplomacy.
To recognize a Palestinian state while Hamas still rules Gaza and holds hostages underground would be to grant statehood to terror, undermining every value the democratic world claims to defend.
Palestinian Authority schools still teach children to hate Jews. Streets and public squares are named after terrorists. The “Martyrs’ Fund” continues to pay salaries to imprisoned murderers and their families — a practice universally condemned yet still funded.
How can the West, with its deep moral legacy of fighting fascism, antisemitism, and radicalism, recognize a regime that rewards violence as national heroism?
Statehood should be a reward for peace, not a consolation prize for political failure and bloodshed.
According to the Montevideo Convention, for a political entity to be recognized as a state, it must have a defined territory, effective government, and capacity for foreign relations.
The Palestinian territories meet none of these criteria: Gaza is ruled by Hamas, a terrorist organization. The West Bank is led by an unelected and corrupt Palestinian Authority. There is no unified leadership, no stable governance, and no genuine peace agenda. Any recognition today would be a political act, not a legal one — and a deeply irresponsible one at that.
Recognizing a Palestinian state now would embolden other extremist movements worldwide, reinforcing the idea that terrorism works and that international sympathy can override accountability.
It would also deal a blow to moderate Arab nations working on normalization with Israel, unraveling years of progress under the Abraham Accords. Such a move would isolate Israel — the region’s only democracy — and hand a symbolic victory to Iran, Hamas’s chief sponsor.
True recognition must follow true reform: Demilitarization of terrorist factions, Democratic elections, Education toward peace, Mutual recognition between Israel and Palestine, etc.
Until these conditions are met, any move to recognize Palestinian statehood is not a step toward peace — it’s a shortcut to more conflict.
The West must not reward hatred, division, and bloodshed with a seat at the table of nations.
Peace is not built through proclamations — it is built through principles. Statehood is not a gesture — it is a responsibility.
Until Palestinian leadership embraces this truth, recognition must remain off the table.
Photo from Matt Hrkac: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_war_protests#/media/File:Palestine_Rally_End_The_Siege,_Stop_the_War_on_Gaza_(53264633371).jpg
