Belgium, France, Portugal, Canada, Australia and the UK have all recently recognised the state of Palestine. The case for doing so appears strong. The war in Gaza is creating some horrific conditions. If recognising Palestine as a state will help bring peace who wouldn’t argue for it?
In addition to this even before the formation of the state of Israel after the Second World War, it was agreed that there needs to be a two-state solution – with one state being mainly Jewish and the opposite mainly Palestinian. Surely now could be the time to implement that to bring peace? If your worldview is created by social media, then you definitely will almost actually answer ‘yes’. It just seems so obvious, doesn’t it?
But Christians (and hopefully others) have a responsibility to look beyond the superficial, and the memes, and dig a bit deeper. So, let’s consider what it’s we are literally talking about and whether the popularity of Palestine could lead to peace, or whether it’d even make things worse.
The best way I can take into consideration things is to ask questions. I hope you will discover them helpful.
1. What are the borders of this Palestine state that are being recognised?
You cannot have a state without boundary lines. So what are these borders? In general, it’s assumed that these could be the borders that existed before 1967. The only problem with that is that it could mean the displacement of greater than half one million Jews and the splitting of Jerusalem.
The current population of Israel is 10.15 million people – 72% of that are Jewish, 21% Arab – which sort of removes the notion that Israel desires to commit genocide against the Palestinians. The population of the brand new state could be 5.5 million – 3.3 million within the West bank and a couple of.2 million in Gaza – with no Jews.
2. Who are the federal government?
International governments recognise the Palestinian Authority within the West Bank, led by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. Hamas has absolute control of Gaza but normally isn’t recognised by other nations – and therein lies a significant problem.
How do you do away with Hamas? None of the countries who’ve recognised Palestine will put troops on the bottom. The assumption that Hamas could be sidelined through attrition moderately than outright defeat, is predicated on wishful pondering. There isn’t any option to remove a terrorist group who’re committed to violence and have a martyrdom complex, not only for themselves but their whole people – aside from by force.
3. Why has there not been a two-state solution until now?
The answer to that’s remarkably easy. The Arab nations have fought hard to destroy the state of Israel from the start. In 1948 Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian troops with support from Yemen and Saudi Arabia tried to wipe out the brand new tiny Jewish nation. They failed. The irony is that Israel secured 78% of Palestine, excess of the 56% they’d originally been allocated. Egypt occupied Gaza and Jordan occupied the West Bank.
The second major try to destroy Israel was the 1967 six-day war, this time Egypt, Jordan, Syria with support from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Algeria. Remarkably, Israel won again. They captured the West Bank (from Jordan); Gaza and Sinai (from Egypt), and the Golan Heights (from Syria).
Another attempt was made within the 1973 Yom Kippur War with Egypt, Syria and expeditionary forces from Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. Israel again won but faced heavy losses. Despite the resultant Camp David Accord, Israel has continually faced attack from Hamas, Hezbollah and other largely Iranian-sponsored armies.
4. Would a two-state solution be acceptable to each Israel and the Palestinians?
Given the above history it’s hardly surprising that the Israeli government is extremely unlikely to welcome the establishment of a Palestinian state which might destroy Israel’s current borders.
Within Israel itself opinions vary. There are some extreme right-wing groups who wish to remove all Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza. There are others who somewhat strangely are even against the state of Israel. All the bulk want is the precise to live in peace on the land of Judah, which is historically theirs. They are in any case the indigenous inhabitants.
It is difficult, if not unimaginable to assume any Israeli government giving up East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights or the West Bank based solely on the assurances of the West that they will likely be protected. Given the previous history of the West within the Holocaust, and the present increase in antisemitism within the West – and throughout the world – you’ll be able to understand why the Jews wish to keep their very own state.
What concerning the Palestinians? Do they even need a two-state solution? In 2000 and 2008 they rejected a two-state solution which Israel had accepted. The reason for this is easy. It is summed up within the mantra which so many Western progressives chant (I hope ignorantly), “From the River to the Sea, Palestine shall be free”.
At best because of this the nation of Israel will likely be destroyed and all the ex-Roman, Ottoman, Turkish, British province of Palestinia will develop into this latest nation. At worst it means a latest Holocaust, where the entire area will likely be purged of the Jews.
In the Hamas structure article 7 quotes a hadith from Muhammad: “The Day of Judgement is not going to come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there’s a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree … wouldn’t do this since it is certainly one of the trees of the Jews.”
Article 32 says: “The HAMAS regards itself the spearhead and the vanguard of the circle of struggle against World Zionism … Islamic groups everywhere in the Arab world should … [fight] the warmongering Jews.”
How can there be a two-state solution when such views exist within the leadership of the Palestinian, Arab Islamic world?
5. What does Hamas consider the recent recognition by Western countries?
There is little doubt that Hamas consider the popularity to be a significant victory. They have exulted in it. For example, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official stated that “the popularity of a Palestinian state is certainly one of the fruits of October 7”. He went on to argue that the wave of recognitions represents a “victory” for the attack, justifying its brutality as a catalyst for international pressure on Israel and progress toward Palestinian statehood. Hamas feel that they’ve been rewarded each for his or her attack on Israel and the forced martyrdom of their very own people. But for them it is just the start. In rewarding Hamas, the Western governments have justified and encouraged Hamas in its violence.
6. Why have these Western governments done this?
They know all this. Despite the contempt wherein so many politicians are held, they will not be silly. They have at the least the identical information as the remaining of us. So why have they handed this victory to Hamas? At best it’s a type of desperate ‘Hail Mary’ – ’What else can we do? Let’s try something’.
But I believe it’s far more cynical than that. If our primary motive is that we care concerning the suffering brought on by war, then why are the UK, Canada, Australia and France not campaigning to finish the war in Sudan? Who cares for the three million people in Afghanistan who’re threatened with starvation? If we’re so enthusiastic about the genocide of a Muslim people, why are we entirely silent concerning the fate of the Uyghur people in China?
It is definitely not without significance that each one of the countries which have recognised Palestine have large Muslim immigrant populations whose religion is fundamentally against the Jews. If the Jews weren’t involved, we might not be facing this example.
Furthermore, they’ve centre left governments who’re under pressure from their Left – with the Greens, the far Left, pushing for more motion against Israel. Despite the incongruity and insanity of ‘Queers for Palestine’ it now appears that antisemitism within the West has a triple alliance (the old far right, the brand new far left, and the ever-growing Islamists). If you think that that governments haven’t been affected by this, ask yourself why, when Italy refused to recognise Palestine, there have been riots everywhere in the country instigated by a mix of left-wing and Islamic groups?
In addition to this, Hamas are winning the propaganda war. The old Jewish blood libel has been resurrected. In a perverse twist worthy of Goebbels himself, Jews at the moment are the Nazis wanting to kill children and commit genocide.
However, our governments should beware. Betraying Israel may match well with a few of the electorate, but no nation has ever gone against the Jews and prospered. It’s not clever to the touch the apple of God’s eye.
7. Will it work?
Given that the popularity is primarily for domestic political consumption, and greater than a bit of international virtue signalling, it is extremely unlikely that it is going to work. No hostages have been released in response and Israel is not going to stop its attack on Gaza – especially because it now feels increasingly isolated. In fact, isolating Israel further and rewarding Hamas is much more more likely to increase the suffering of the Gazan (and Israeli) people.
My final query: what should the Church do?
I don’t have an answer to an intractable problem. I might like to see the two-state thing work, but it surely won’t since the hostility towards the Jews is simply too ingrained, and the sense of injustice against them too profound.
Gaza is mentioned several times within the Bible – due to its strategic significance. I need to say two of them. In 1 Kings 4:24 we’re told, “For he [Solomon] ruled over all of the region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all of the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides.” Would that not be wonderful if there have been peace on all sides? We can only pray for the peace of Jerusalem and of Gaza.
And then there’s this delightful detail from the book of Acts. “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza’” (Acts 8:26). On that route Philip, the evangelist, met with the Ethiopian Eunuch who was converted. And that surely is what is required: more evangelism. There will likely be no peace without Christ. Jew, Gentile, Arab, Israelis, Muslim and nominal Christians – all need Christ. May the Prince of Peace reign!
David Robertson is the previous minister of St Peters Free Church in Dundee and a former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. He is currently the minister of Scots Kirk Presbyterian Church in Newcastle, New South Wales, and blogs at The Wee Flea.
 Belgium, France, Portugal, Canada, Australia and the UK have all recently recognised the state of Palestine. The case for doing so appears strong....){kind=link}