Allan Stratton: Israel is paving the way for a Palestinian state

Oct. 7 made me a Zionist. Recent moves by Israel have changed the moral and diplomatic calculus in the West.

The Associated Press.

By: Allan Stratton

Oct. 7 made me a Zionist.

The depravity of Hamas’ pogrom, its barbaric use of Palestinians as human shields, and the subsequent targeting of the Jewish diaspora made clear that Jews can’t count on the West for protection. They need a place where they are in control. That place is Israel, their ancestral homeland for millennia. For Israel to unilaterally stop its defensive war, leaving Hamas in charge of Gaza, would be to cede victory to a theocratic death cult. It would be national suicide on the installment plan.

That remains true. However, although Hamas has always been able to stop the horror by simply surrendering the hostages and power, recent moves by Israel have changed the moral and diplomatic calculus in the West, leading to several nations to recognize a Palestinian state; in Canada’s case, it has said it intends to, conditionally. This, despite the fact that some see it as legitimizing Hamas’ terrorism.

While nobody could reasonably expect Israel to be perfect in its pursuit of an entrenched enemy embedded in an urban population, it nonetheless has made numerous strategic and tactical errors that has eroded its support abroad. It’s biggest was blocking UNWRA from distributing food in Gaza before Israel had established its own supply chains. True, UNWRA is infiltrated by Hamas; many of the photos of starving children were staged; and Hamas is delighted to see Gazans starve. None of that matters. Israel accepted responsibility to provide relief and therefore owns the consequences of its failure.

And that failure has been considerable. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, as of August 9, 212 people have died of malnutrition. Hamas statistics are routinely inflated; even so, deaths due to starvation grow exponentially: It is impossible to restructure and relocate aid distribution on a dime. The chaos at the Israeli-American food depots has created other humanitarian nightmares. Nearly 1,400 people have been killed and 4,000 injured trying to access the compounds: Soldiers have fired into desperate crowds, either responding to a Hamas infiltrator or in fear of a stampede. Gazans have been crushed under food pallets dropped by air and endangered by the free-for-alls when they land.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has cynically used the war in Gaza as a opportunity to turbocharge the creation of settlements in the West Bank. The Israeli Knesset has passed a non-binding motion to annex the West Bank. Members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have called for the “self-deportation,” a.k.a. ethnic cleansing, of Palestinians. And, to this end, West Bank settlers are murdering Palestinians and torching their homes with impunity. All of this is designed to make a two-state solution to the generational conflict impossible.

This is the context in which several Western governments have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state. On the one hand, these recognitions appear to be reckless in the middle of a war. On the other, silence gives consent: If the West doesn’t make some kind of rhetorical stand now, it will be complicit with the kind of single-state land grab suggested by the Knesset vote, the far-right radicals in Netanyahu’s cabinet, and the Greater Israel map Netanyahu presented at the UN in 2023.

Mark Carney seems to understand this. His conditional support for the recognition of a Palestinian state has been attacked as a showboating reward to terrorists. It isn’t. It is specifically predicated on the release of the hostages, the surrender of Hamas, the exclusion of Hamas from any future Palestinian government, and the demilitarization of Gaza. Carney also specified the need to reform the Palestinian Authority and to hold elections.

Hamas is on the verge of becoming irrelevant. Thanks to Israel’s military victories, its allies, Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, are in various states of collapse. And the 22 nations of the Arab League, along with the Palestinian Authority, have condemned its October 7 attack and called for it to surrender hostages and power. Qatar, a key signatory, hosts the Hamas leadership. If I were a Hamas honcho, I’d be paying close attention to the wishes of my benefactors or checking for any Soviet-built windows.

Meanwhile, Israel has never had a better bargaining position. Its enemies are in ruins. The only thing threatening its dominant hand in peace discussions is Netanyahu’s newly announced goal to occupy all of Gaza. If he follows through it is certain to cement Israel’s descent into a pariah state, to mire it in a guerrilla war, and to increase global antisemitism. And it will make it politically impossible for the Arab League to support Israel goals. Even more reason for Israel’s allies to stage an intervention.

The obstacles to a Palestinian state are serious. Canada’s own conditions may never be met, and its recognition therefore voided. Naysayers have long argued that a fully independent Palestinian state is near impossible. And this may even be true.

Developing a functioning Palestinian state will require negotiation, planning, and aid. Significant work will need to be invested in Gaza and the West Bank to rebuild infrastructure, and to make its people financially, physically, and psychologically sound. But it’s worth trying. These accommodations, which will include security arrangements for Israel, must be made in the interest of maintaining alliances necessary for everybody’s long-term survival.

If Israel wants a sustainable two-state solution, it should join its allies’ initiative and retake the moral high ground squandered by the Netanyahu government. It has the chance to help create a Middle East it can live with. It should take the win.

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