PRESS RELEASE: Unilateral Recognition Of A Palestinian State Is Symbolism That Avoids Real Solutions And Will Exacerbate Tensions

May 29, 2024, New York, NY – The rush to accord unilateral recognition to a nonexistent Palestinian state, first by Norway, Ireland, and Spain, and possibly others, is a symbolic act that sidesteps the need for genuine solutions and a dangerous move that could intensify anti-Israel hate and worsen the impression that Israel, and not Palestinian failures, are responsible for not realizing Palestinian aspirations. To create an impression that a lack of a state is responsible for unfulfilled Palestinian aspirations is a dangerous simplification of a complex situation.
 
The hasty decision to acknowledge a Palestinian state that has yet to be established is fraught with risk and sets up unrealistic expectations that cannot be fulfilled without addressing the underlying issues. Norway’s Prime Minister, Mr. Jonas Gahr Store, says that “a recognition of Palestine in 2024 is “support to moderate forces.”  But this theory was put to the test in 1988 when nearly two dozen member states of the Arab League recognized Palestine, followed by five dozen states across the wider Middle East and the world during the 1990s.  By October 7, around 138 states worldwide acknowledged a Palestinian state. However, this ‘support to moderate forces’ did little to prevent Hamas terror organization and Iran from launching a war that devastated Israel and Gaza. In fact, way before the attack, Hamas started a civil war in 2007 that nearly engulfed the region and only quelled when Israel and moderate Arab states intervened to stop Palestinians killing each other. 
 
The reality is that the gestures of Norway, Ireland, and Spain are merely symbolic and do not change the actual conditions. The only viable path forward involves the Palestinian factions renouncing violence and antisemitism and pursuing a dialogue with Israel aimed at coexistence and peace. After all, it is the Jewish state that opted for peaceful coexistence by accepting a two-state solution proposed by the United Nations in 1948 that Palestinian leaders rejected and instead decided to launch a war of extermination against Palestine’s Jewish population.
 
Granting statehood to Hamas just months after the atrocities of October 7 does little to empower moderate Palestinian groups and instead reinforces the narrative of Hamas and Iran, which blames Israel for the consequences of a conflict it neither initiated nor desired but was compelled to engage in.
 
Currently, bestowing statehood upon a Palestinian leadership that is hesitant to embrace peace and reject populist violence could deepen the internal Palestinian schism and do little to encourage meaningful dialogue with Israel. It is important to remember that just six months prior, Hamas instigated a new conflict in the region, driven by factions within Gaza intent on undermining the peace process with both Arab nations and Israel.