Would Palestinian statehood bring about peace?

 

Palestinians have a flag, a national anthem, and even diplomats, but it is not yet an internationally recognized state. Some nations have pressed for diplomatic acceptance. But accepting it as a Palestinian state would not bring peace because Palestinians do not want peace—with or without a state—and refuse to accept Israel's right to exist as the legitimate homeland of the Jewish people. 

The Palestinian Authority (PA) asserts that:

  • Jews are inherently evil, endangering not only Palestinians but all humanity.
  • Jews themselves are responsible for the antisemitism and hatred they have faced throughout history.
  • Read more in the Palestinian Media Watch document from the hearing "Responding to Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Bias in the UN, Palestinian Authority, and the NGO Community from June 22, 2023.

If there were a Palestinian state, nearly half of the Palestinian population would be ruled by Hamas—a violent terrorist organization fundamentally opposed to peace—who have ruled Gaza since 2007. The Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews, so until Hamas is dismantled, there will be no peace and no chance for a Palestinian state. It's a terror organization only interested in an Islamic Sharia state eradicated of all Jews. The Palestinian Authority turns this demonization of Jews into its political ideology. Western countries were "anxious to get rid of the Jews and solve their 'Jewish problem' and so established a Jewish state. The PA asserts Jews would never have come to the land of Israel on their own because the Jews have no history in the land and their presence there is, therefore, an illegitimate result of "settler colonialism" with no right to exist. Thus, the PA's goal is to liberate Palestine, which they consider to be stolen by the "colonialist and aggressive Zionist movement."

While world leaders are calling for two states—an independent state for Palestinians alongside that of Israel—Palestinian Authority leaders have historically called for the creation of an inherently racist, "Jew-free" state.

Palestinian Authority President Abbas said, "In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli—civilian or soldier—on our lands." This is what's behind the refrain popularized after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Though Israel was attacked, around the world, protestors took to college campuses and the streets, declaring, "Palestine will be free from the river to the sea." The river is the Jordan River, and the sea is the Mediterranean Sea. It means having dominion over that stretch of land—all of Israel. 

Plus, the Palestinian Authority continues to undermine the future possibility of two states living in peace. It fosters a culture of hate against Israelis and Jews in Palestinian mosques, schools, and media.

Palestinian leaders fill children's textbooks, summer camps, television programs, mosques, and official media outlets with incitement. Children are taught to value terrorism. They are taught to hate Israelis and Jews, that Jews are occupiers of the Land of Israel, and to be martyrs for the Palestinian cause—suicide bombers are glorified. Israel is demonized, and the existence of Israel is consistently denied. Schools focus on the Palestinian return to an exclusively Palestinian homeland. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militia invaded Southern Israel and massacred over 1,200 people, raped hundred, and took hundreds more hostage to Gaza on October 7, 2023. Sources say the roots of the horrific attack could be traced to what had been taught in Gaza schools for generations. Jew-hatred quickly surged around the world, fueled by social media that spread rampant misinformation Israel's response to the attack, civilian deaths in Gaza, and the Holocaust.

History proves that Palestinian leaders do not want an independent state.

After October 7, 2023

Rather than pushing to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas after what it did to innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023, many nations pushed harder for a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza—including the United States. But Hamas and other terrorist groups like Hezbollah hold an ideological root that can't be acquieced, and awarding the Palestinians with statehood would only catalyze terrorism globally and "convince groups that expanding violence rather than developing their economy achieves its goals."

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