The Push for Palestinian Statehood and Facts Ignored

The Push for Palestinian Statehood and Facts Ignored

By ICEJ USA President Dr. Susan Michael

On June 9, in response to the United Nations General Assembly’s push for a “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI), a project of the ICEJ USA, sent a letter to both President Trump and Secretary Rubio. The letter signed by 80 Christian leaders urged them to resist this dangerous initiative, emphasizing that the events of October 7 had already demonstrated the fallacy of such a solution.

Unfortunately, on September 12, the UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution known as the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Though it condemns the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and demands that Hamas disarm and cede control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (PA) with international support, it calls for “tangible, time-bound, and irreversible” steps toward a two-state solution. Several nations, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Belgium, have announced plans to formally recognize Palestinian statehood with or without Israel’s consent.

This international push to impose a two-state solution is not only dangerous but ignores facts on the ground. Because it assumes that Israel is the problem, it also ignores the following points of historical and legal context.

1. Rewards and Encourages Terrorism

Granting statehood at this time would be a reward for the October 7 terror attacks. Hamas and other Palestinian groups have publicly stated that their actions have pushed the issue of statehood back onto the global stage. This move would only fuel future violence and make peace through negotiation less likely.

2. Violates Existing International Agreements

Granting recognition of a Palestinian state without Israel’s consent violates the Oslo Accords of 1993 and breaks from decades of binding UN Security Council resolutions built on the sound principle of direct bilateral negotiations. Such a breach would represent a serious betrayal of Israel’s trust and sacrifice the sanctity of international agreements on the altar of political expediency.

3. Lacks a Viable Partner for Peace

The Palestinian people are not united under a single, legitimate governing authority. The PA is widely seen as corrupt and ineffective, while Hamas is a designated terrorist organization that rejects Israel’s existence. Granting statehood would create a divided and unstable entity, lacking the fundamental requirements for effective governance.

4. Ideological Barriers to Peace

A significant portion of Palestinian society is taught from a young age, through official school curricula and media, to believe that the ultimate goal is a single Palestinian state “from the river to the sea.” This slogan is widely interpreted as a call for a state free of Jews and a rejection of Israel’s right to exist. This ideological stance is an inherent barrier to a lasting two-state solution.

5. Derails Future Peace Efforts

By providing false hope that statehood can be achieved without negotiation, this diplomatic effort destabilizes the region. It diminishes the incentive for Palestinian leaders to compromise or engage in productive dialogue, effectively making a future peace deal even more difficult to achieve. The Gaza disengagement in 2005 is cited as an example of how a unilateral move without a peace framework can backfire, as it resulted in Hamas seizing control and using the territory to attack Israel.

6. Ignores Legal Context

The legal and historical rights of Israel in the disputed territories were recognized by the international community at the San Remo Conference of 1920 and subsequently incorporated into the British Mandate for Palestine. The argument is that this history provides a legal and moral basis for Israel’s claim to the land, which precedes current diplomatic pressures.

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