Axios has a scoop: the Biden administration is exploring options to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally, fundamentally changing the balance of power in the immediate region.
Think about that for a moment: it would be the single greatest victory in the history of using terrorism to shift the political balance of power in history.
In other words, just the sort of thing Biden would do, since he has an unerring ability to deeply examine a problem and choose the wrong solution.
No better way to say “terrorism works.” https://t.co/3RHGI4UPj7
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) January 31, 2024
There is one and only one reason why, in over 75 years, a Palestinian state has not yet been formed: Palestinians want the whole enchilada and not just a state to call their own. That is the meaning of “From the River to the Sea.” They have been offered many compromises over the years, none of which they have taken up because they have no interest in acknowledging the fact that Israel is a legitimate state that deserves territorial integrity.
Ed just wrote a piece about how the Palestinians, and Hamas in particular, reject the entire idea of a two-state solution. They believe that terrorism works, and would use the US recognition of Palestine as another step along the road to destroying Israel, which is their ultimate goal.
Hamas Leader Abroad Khaled Mashal: We Reject the Two-State Solution; October 7 Has Shown that Liberating Palestine from the River to the Sea Is Realistic and Has Already Begun #Hamas #Israel #Palestinians #Gaza pic.twitter.com/fcnUsbzRN1
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) January 21, 2024
Tom Emmer, for whom I worked a bit during his campaign for governor of Minnesota, hit the nail on the head when he called this move (should it happen) the worst betrayal of our ally in our history.
“As Joe Biden signals that the clock on his support for Israel is running out—a White House endorsement of a two-state solution would be the worst betrayal of our strongest ally in the Middle East, a reversal on decades-long U.S. policy, and a reward to Hamas terrorists who committed the most barbaric attacks against the Jewish community since the Holocaust,” Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), the House majority whip, told the Washington Free Beacon, echoing comments from other GOP offices.
“I will personally use every ounce of leverage at my disposal to ensure the Biden administration does not go through with this absurd idea,” Emmer told the Free Beacon, hinting at a looming showdown between the White House and pro-Israel leaders in Congress.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly asked U.S. diplomats to “conduct a review and present policy options on possible U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state,” according to Axios. The policy shift threatens to upend decades of U.S. policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which successive American administrations have said needs to be settled between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors. A unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, long thought impossible, is certain to complicate relations between the United States and Israel at a time when the Jewish state is fighting for its survival against the Iran-backed terror group Hamas.
For years the “two-state” solution has been seen as the only viable path forward for resolving the conflict, but every effort to achieve this goal has been stymied by the fact that Palestinians only want one state, and that state isn’t Israel.
A White House endorsement of a two-state solution would be the worst betrayal of our strongest ally in the Middle East and a reward to Hamas terrorists who committed the most barbaric attacks against the Jewish community since the Holocaust. https://t.co/nXvYmGtaUk
— Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) January 31, 2024
This determination is driven by two factors, one ideological and the other political: Palestinians fundamentally object to the Jews living in peace in Israel–they say this all the time, and their practice of keeping Jews out of any territories they control proves it; the political factor is that the leadership of the Palestinians have benefited enormously from a corrupt bargain with both radical Islamist states and the Western powers, who have made them rich and powerful.
In other words, they have a good thing going in their view. Why rock the boat? Hamas is a warlord leader in Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority only rules because they have a stranglehold on the resources in the region, thanks to the West, which fears that even more radical groups will emerge as the leaders in the region.
Even other states despise the leadership of the Palestinians, whom they see as dangerous parasites–this is why they have no desire to import Gazan refugees.
It is in this context that the Biden administration is contemplating giving a state to the Palestinian leadership. This is insane.
“A Palestinian state would not only be an enclave for global terrorism and an existential threat to Israel, it would legitimize the aims of the attack on October 7, effectively rewarding Hamas,” Cotton told the Free Beacon. “It’s clear the Biden administration simply wants to appease the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. It’s shameful this is even a topic of discussion.”
The Biden administration has been under pressure from the Democratic Party’s left wing to push for a ceasefire that would end the nearly four-month-long conflict. Anti-Israel lawmakers like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) have also floated proposals to cut off U.S. arms sales to Israel and end military aid to the Jewish state.
Intra-party tensions over the ongoing war, as well as immense pressure from left-wing outside advocacy groups, are already threatening to erode liberal support for President Joe Biden as he winds up his 2024 reelection campaign.
This is all about domestic politics for Biden. He is willing to hand over an enormous victory to Hamas in the hope of reunifying his party.
The message to his base is: I am willing to sacrifice others at your whim. The message to terrorists is even clearer: commit more atrocities because the tactic works.