Hamas Ends The Two-State Solution

• The recent atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists against Israel have, without a doubt, sealed the fate of the peace process and the once-considered two-state solution. While Hamas bears significant responsibility for this tragedy, they do not stand alone in the blame. The time will eventually arrive to examine Israel’s military and intelligence shortcomings, but that moment is not now.

• Hamas is accountable for these reprehensible crimes, but the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, must also share the responsibility. While Hamas never aligned with the peace process or the two-state solution, Abbas, in theory, did. However, the conspicuous absence of denouncing the Hamas atrocities from Abbas is troubling. Instead, his political party, Fatah, resorted to social media to urge his people to act violently against settlers and Israelis.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

• Does this come as a surprise? Only to people who have closely observed the actions of the Palestinian Authority over the past two decades. Abbas’s predecessor, Yasser Arafat, rejected Israel’s offer of an independent state in 2000. In 2008, Abbas repeated this rejection. It marked the actual conclusion of the peace process, even if most of the Western world failed to acknowledge it. The successive Palestinian rejections not only shattered Israel’s moderate peace camp but also led to the election of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abbas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat

• The term “moderate” is rendered meaningless in this context. Palestinians like Abbas were, in fact, the original rejectionists. Consequently, the time has come for the West to cease demanding concessions, gestures, or a settlement freeze from Israel to keep the two-state solution viable. By their actions, “moderate” Palestinians have removed themselves from the process of Middle East peacemaking.

• Over time, Abbas and his supporters have normalized the killing of Israeli civilians. This process began with education fueled by hate and continued by glorifying dead terrorists as “martyrs,” memorializing them through street and park names, and providing stipends and pensions to the families of captured terrorists. Does this imply that all Palestinians support terrorism? Of course not. Just as the victims of the atomic bombings in Japan during World War II included innocent civilians entrapped by their government, civilian casualties are an unfortunate aspect of war.

• What lies ahead once the Palestinians are excluded from the political process is uncertain. However, it will be grounded in reality rather than outdated formulas. It remains in Israel’s interest to avoid ruling over four million Palestinians, but the dream of two states coexisting in peace has likely vanished forever.

• The actions of Hamas have demonstrated, to those previously unconvinced, that achieving peace in this region is contingent upon the actions of both sides, not just Israel. Arafat and Abbas set the stage for failure by rejecting Israel’s offers and their continuous promotion of hatred and violence.

• Now, Hamas has taken this to an unprecedented level. Their actions, including the massacre of hundreds of teenagers at an outdoor concert, are on par with, or even surpass, the crimes of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaida. Negotiations and concessions are not demanded for these extremist groups, yet 20 U.S. senators recently attempted to force Palestinians into negotiations with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the U.S. government.

The Foreign Secretary says the events over the weekend have set back the prospect of a two state solution.

What prospect? The Israelis have deliberately destroyed the possibility of a two state solution. pic.twitter.com/x5DCSgZylJ

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) October 10, 2023

• In response to any Middle East developments, there’s a knee-jerk reaction to mention “Palestinians,” the “two-state solution,” and the “settlement freeze.” This occurs despite the fact that the Arab Spring and the Abraham Accords have revealed to objective observers that the Middle East’s fate is not solely tied to the Palestinian issue. Arab nations have known for decades that the Palestinian issue serves as a distraction from their actual problems.

• Even with the recent horrors committed by Hamas, it’s necessary to reiterate that Israel’s West Bank settlements are a problem but not the primary problem. The Palestinian Authority has direct control over 94% of its population in the West Bank, and its inability to govern efficiently despite significant foreign aid is its own failure, not Israel’s. Therefore, the settlements are, at most, a minor issue.

A video screen grab shows charred and damaged cars along a desert road after an attack by Hamas terrorists at the Tribe of Nova Trance music festival near Kibbutz Re'im in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

• The occupation cannot be entirely blamed either. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, removing all soldiers and evacuating 18 settlements and 8,000 settlers. Claims that Israel controls the borders are countered by the fact that every nation manages its borders. In response to Israel’s pullout, Palestinians turned Gaza into one of the world’s most violent terrorism centers.

An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, lie on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, October 10, 2023

• The Palestinians’ tragedy is mainly of their own making. They could have had a state in 2000 or 2008, ended Israeli occupation, and established a functioning nation. Instead, they collectively chose violence, terror, and mass murder. Their actions have led to irreparable damage, and Israel and the rest of the world cannot easily forgive or forget these choices.