Western leaders rush to recognize Palestine, rewarding terror and empowering Hamas — while the Arab world calls for Hamas to disarm.
Dan Feferman
Aug 4, 2025 - 8:56 AM
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Diplomacy or Delusion?
This week, two diplomatic earthquakes shook the Israel-Palestine file. First, France’s Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state. Then, the UK’s Keir Starmer followed with a warning: if Israel doesn’t end the war in Gaza, halt settlement activity, and commit to a two-state solution, Britain will follow suit. Not to be left behind, Canada joined the chorus a day later.
These announcements, the first of their kind from G7 nations, are a gift to Hamas. They showcase political theater aimed at radicalized domestic audiences and represent a tragic misread of regional dynamics. They won’t end the war. They won’t help Palestinians. But they do send a clear message: terrorism works, and moderation is for fools.
Meanwhile, and in a twist, no one saw coming but all should welcome, Arab leaders, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and even Qatar (yes, that Qatar), publicly condemned Hamas, called for its disarmament, and demanded it relinquish control of Gaza. This is big, nearly 2 years late in the game, but big, nonetheless.
So, let’s get this straight: Western democracies are rewarding a terror group that murdered, raped, and kidnapped civilians while Arab states are finally calling Hamas what it is and demanding its removal.
Rewarding Terror, Not Peace
To be fair, all parties signed a joint declaration calling for a peaceful two-state solution, a strengthened Palestinian Authority, and a transitional international force in Gaza. But let’s not kid ourselves: the Western announcements are less about peacemaking and more about appeasing domestic political pressures, particularly growing Muslim populations, many of whom view Hamas not as a terror group but as freedom fighters.
It’s also driven by frustration with Israel that has many fair points. After October 7, global sympathy was real. But it has eroded under the weight of a brutal urban war, high civilian casualties, a masterclass in cynical propaganda from Hamas and its backers and Israel’s failure to clearly articulate a “day after” plan. Add to that some unhelpful rhetoric from fringe Israeli politicians, and it’s easy to see why the narrative is shifting.
Still, let’s not pretend the blame lies with Israel on this one. Hamas has repeatedly rejected ceasefire proposals, something even U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari mediators have confirmed. The terror group’s entire strategy relies on baiting Israel into a military response, hiding beneath civilians, and weaponizing humanitarian suffering for the cameras.
Who Really Controls Gaza?
It works like this: commit atrocities, provoke retaliation, and then use your media arms, looking at you, Al Jazeera, to flood the world with images of destruction. Stage scenes if you have to. Pull footage from Syria or Yemen if needed. Hysteria at aid distribution sites? Even better. And if chaos doesn’t make headlines, send gunmen to hijack the aid trucks to keep the loyalists fed while everyone else pays 100 times the price for what was meant to be free.
Yes, Israel’s aid delivery has been clumsy. But it’s not Israel holding aid at the borders, it’s actually the UN, which seems oddly committed to funneling aid back through Hamas-linked mechanisms. Because if Hamas loses control over food and supplies, it loses control of Gaza, which appears to be the real nightmare here, and the UN money-making machine called UNRWA loses relevance.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority, the supposed alternative to Hamas, hasn’t exactly proven itself. It took days to even condemn the October 7 massacre. It still pays stipends to terrorists, denies Jewish ties to Israel, promotes antisemitism in its schools, and has rejected multiple peace offers over the past two decades. It has little legitimacy, and even less governing capacity. Its control barely extends beyond Mahmoud Abbas’ compound in Ramallah.
Peace Demands a Paradigm Shift
So what happens if the West unilaterally recognizes a Palestinian state now? It would create a failed state overnight. One without borders, leadership, or rule of law. It would be a disaster for both Israelis and Palestinians, and a gift to Hamas, who can then claim: “Our strategy worked. Violence delivered what diplomacy never could.” And since Israel won’t budge under such blunt-force threats, the only country whose recognition of Palestine is relevant anyways, this certainly doesn’t help the Palestinian cause.
And yet, for the first time, the Arab world, including Qatar, Hamas’ longtime patron, is finally pushing for the terror group’s removal. This should have been the strategy on October 8. It could have saved tens of thousands of lives and spared Gaza from ruin.
If the Arab states can now publicly call for Hamas to disarm, step down, and go into exile, it’s time the West caught up. This is the paradigm shift we’ve needed.
Everyone wants the war to end, except Hamas. Most of the world wants Israel out of Gaza. But under what conditions? And whose demands? Pressuring Israel through premature recognition of a Palestinian state isn’t the way. It emboldens Hamas, weakens the Palestinian Authority, and undermines future peace efforts.
Here’s the correct sequence: First, Hamas goes. Then peace talks begin. And they must include real reform, deradicalization, disarmament and demilitarization.
France, the UK, and Canada may mean well, they might be pandering to their own extremists but they’ve mixed up the order. And in doing so, they risk prolonging the war, empowering extremists, and sabotaging the very peace they claim to support.
For once, the Arab world has it right. Let’s not let Western virtue-signaling blow the opportunity.
