Lawrence J. Haas
“We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza,” French leader Emmanuel Macron declared in announcing that France will recognize a Palestinian state next month—an announcement that British prime minister Keir Starmer and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney quickly echoed. We must,” Macron went on, “also ensure the demilitarization of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza. And finally, we must build the State of Palestine, guarantee its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the region.”
Fine sentiments all. But, like similar ones intoned by Western leaders for decades, they skirt the obvious hurdles that make their objective so elusive, thereby turning the announcements into little more than moral grandstanding Worse, their words will embolden Hamas, planting the seeds for more war between Israel and Gaza and condemning the people of Gaza—the very people on whose behalf these leaders profess to speak—to more suffering from committed terrorists who care far more about killing Jews than enriching Gazans.
French, British, and Canadian recognition of a new state of Palestine assumes that the Palestinian Authority (PA), which runs the West Bank, will once again run Gaza, which it ran until 2007, when Hamas ousted it in a violent coup. How shall the PA reassume control? Macron and company don’t seem to have any good answers.We must,” the French president said, “ensure the demilitarization of Hamas.” Note the passive tense. Who will do the demilitarizing? Will Paris send troops to dislodge Hamas from Gaza? Will London or Ottawa? Will any nation or combination of nations do so? Macron doesn’t say, since it’s easier to avoid that thorny issue than confront it head-on.
Will Hamas “disarm” itself and “play no role in the future of governance in Palestine,” as Carney insists, “must” happen? That’s inconceivable. Lest anyone needed a refresher course about Hamas, Ghazi Hamad, a senior official with the group, told Al Jazeera over the weekend: “Our weapons equal our cause.”Moreover, with Palestinian recognition on the horizon, Hamas feels vindicated. A Hamas official, Ghazi Hamad, put it like this: “Why are all these countries recognizing Palestine now? The overall outcome of October 7 forced the world to open its eyes to the Palestinian cause, and to act forcefully in this respect.
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