In a world that often seems turned upside down, where democracies coddle terrorists and lecture their victims, recent threats by France, the United Kingdom, and Canada to unilaterally recognize a so-called Palestinian state hardly come as a surprise.
But that in no way makes them any less outrageous.
These governments, with breathtaking hypocrisy, want to reward the perpetrators of Oct. 7 with a state of their own.
In a joint statement issued early last week, they also warned that unless Israel refrains from expanding military operations in Gaza and halts all “settlement activity,” they would “not hesitate” to take action against the Jewish state, “including targeted sanctions.”
Israel must not cower before this diplomatic charade. On the contrary, the best possible response is to assert full Israeli sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
Let us be clear: The current push by Paris, London, and Ottawa for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state has nothing to do with peace.
It is the geopolitical equivalent of a temper tantrum, a desperate attempt to resuscitate the failed Oslo process and to punish Israel for defending itself in the wake of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. And it is based on the dangerous fiction that the Palestinians deserve a state, regardless of their deadly conduct or lethal intentions.
But the facts say otherwise. Judea and Samaria (what the world calls “the West Bank”) are not “occupied Palestinian territories.” They are the cradle of Jewish civilization. Hebron, Shiloh, Beit El – these are not “settlements” but foundational chapters in our national story. Centuries before Islam was even founded, Jews lived, thrived, and prospered in these areas.
In Gaza, Israel uprooted 21 Jewish communities in 2005 in a painful, misguided attempt to create momentum for peace. What we got in return were rockets, tunnels, and terror. The Oct. 7 atrocities dispelled any lingering delusions among the Israeli public: Hamas must be permanently dismantled, and Israeli sovereignty must be asserted.
Indeed, Palestinian self-rule has brought only bloodshed, radicalization, and impunity.
France, the UK, and Canada claim that recognition of a Palestinian state will “revive” the peace process. That’s like awarding an arsonist the deed to your house in the hopes that he’ll stop setting fires.
The truth is that these governments are more interested in appeasing their growing and restive Muslim populations than in promoting actual coexistence in the Middle East. And they have the gall to lecture Israel – democracy’s front line – while ignoring the glorification of terror in Palestinian schools, mosques, and media.
ISRAEL’S RESPONSE must be one of resolve, not retreat. Rather than waiting to be boxed into a corner by foreign chancelleries, Israel should act now – on our terms – to extend sovereignty to the entirety of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
This is not only a matter of strategic necessity – it is a moral imperative. A people that hesitates to reclaim its own homeland signals weakness to both its friends and foes.
When Menachem Begin extended Israeli law to the Golan Heights in 1981, the world protested. Yet decades later, the United States and others came to accept it as reality. Why? Because Israel stood firm.
When David Ben-Gurion declared statehood in 1948, he did so in defiance of every foreign warning. He knew that sovereignty is never granted. It is taken – by those willing to bear the challenges of history.
Critics will, of course, cry foul. They will claim that Israeli sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and Gaza means “the end of peace.” But what peace? With whom? With Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, whose senior adviser said last week that Israel orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre?
What we are witnessing is not the death of peace but the death of pretense. Proposals for a “two-state solution” were a pipe dream that spawned terror and were sustained by denial. It is long past time we gave the idea a proper burial.
Extending sovereignty does not require demographic suicide. There are workable models, such as incentivized emigration for those who refuse to live in peace, and integration for those who do want to. But what cannot remain is the current limbo, which is merely a vacuum exploited by Palestinian extremists and misunderstood by the world.
Abraham Accords prove strength earns respect
The Abraham Accords proved that strength earns respect. When Israel stands tall, others align. But hesitation invites hostility. If we do not define our borders, others will seek to define them for us.
France, Britain, and Canada may choose to act unilaterally. So Israel, too, must act unilaterally – but in defense of truth, justice, and survival.
It is time for Israel to say to the world: Enough. Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips. Gaza will not be a launchpad for genocide. These areas are parts of our ancestral homeland, as central to our past as they are to our future.
From the hills of Judea to the shores of Gaza, the Land of Israel echoes with the footsteps of our prophets and kings. No foreign decree can or will sever that bond. So let’s finally extend Israeli sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and Gaza and lay claim to what is eternally ours.
The writer served as deputy communications director under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.