Recognition of the Palestinian State is not a prize to Hamas
On September 12th, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted to endorse a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel. The Israeli government reaction to this diplomatic failure, (from the point of view of Israel), slamming the UNGA as “disgraceful,” was not surprising but seems to miss a very important point. As my daughter Ariana pointed out to me, the vote in the UNGA called for a two-state solution, which means not only recognition of the State of Palestine but recognition of the State of Israel. Numerous countries that do not recognize the State of Israel, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia, to name just a few, voted in favor of this declaration, which is a de facto recognition of the State of Israel. Instead of jumping on this diplomatic opportunity, Netanyahu and his extreme rightwing government released a barrage of criticism of those countries that voted for the resolution.
Following this UNGA vote, multiple countries, including many of Israel’s closest allies, such as France, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia, formally recognized the State of Palestine. Netanyahu’s spin on these events is that the world is giving a prize to Hamas for October 7. Countries that have a strong relationship with Israel and have just now recognized the State of Palestine are not giving a prize to Hamas for October 7 but are reacting to the Israeli government’s conduct of a war which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians since October 7. Despite Hamas’s attempt to spin the recent recognitions of the Palestinian State as some kind of victory, Hamas has never claimed that its goal is to initiate a two-state solution. Hamas’ proximate goal for the attack on October 7 was to scuttle the potential normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Hamas’ ultimate goal is to destroy the State of Israel. Recognition of the Palestinian State in the framework of a two-state solution only strengthens Israel’s place in the Middle East and will lead to normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as other countries in the region and in the world.
Israelis fear that a two-state solution will lead to another October 7 by enabling a Palestinian-led entity to establish sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza. The events of October 7, the many years of rocket attacks from Gaza, and terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians that preceded October 7 and the events that have taken place since, have strengthened this fear. Netanyahu flames this fear because fear keeps him in power.
The current proposal by the Trump Administration to end the war in Gaza includes a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” and recognizes self-determination and statehood as the aspiration of the Palestinian people. We do not know what the final agreement which will end the war in Gaza will look like, since there will be further negotiations, but it appears very likely that to achieve the necessary engagement of the moderate Arab States in putting boots on the ground for security and investments in the ground for recovery, a political process leading to a Palestinian State living in peace alongside the State of Israel will be an integral part of the agreement. Israeli governments have negotiated peace agreements with Arab States before, including Egypt, which waged a war that very nearly led to Israel’s defeat. The Israeli government is now engaged with another mortal enemy, Syria, in a possible negotiation process, as well as with Lebanon, whose southern border has been the launching ground for horrific terrorist attacks against Israelis.
The Israeli government has managed to negotiate peace agreements with Arab neighbors, which have provided security, stability, and prosperity to the people of Israel. There is no reason to assume that negotiations with the representatives of the new Palestinian State will result in anything less than an agreement that provides more security, more stability, and more prosperity for the people of Israel and of Palestine. Recognition of the State of Palestine is not a prize for Hamas; it is a right of the Palestinian people and an opportunity for the State of Israel.