Mr. Biden’s acknowledgment of a Palestinian state would be a crucial step toward fostering a more stable and peaceful Middle East, as it would send a powerful message about the United States’ commitment to global stability and upholding the principles of democracy. With the United States’ influence in the United Nations, Mr. Biden affirming Palestinian statehood would encourage further diplomatic efforts and constructive dialogue among all parties involved.
Though a two-state solution, as Daoud Kuttab suggested, might be the only viable long-term remedy to the Middle East conflict, it sure isn’t at present. Mr. Kuttab’s arguments lacked credibility if one wants Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security, which I assume is the point.
Mr. Kuttab barely mentioned the 800-pound gorilla in the room: Hamas. Though it might be possible to leverage free and fair elections in the West Bank, unlikely though that would be, it will never happen in Gaza while Hamas is in control. Mr. Kuttab had no answer but suggested it’s Israel’s fault.
Since its inception in 1987, Hamas has been dedicated to a one-state, radical-Islamist dictatorship where the state of Israel is now. Hamas has been unwavering since, including through multiple rounds of Israel offering the Palestinians a state. Palestinians were given a proto-state of their own in Gaza in 2005. Hamas took over and used the Strip as a launchpad of terrorism into Israel.
The one thing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas are in violent agreement about is no two-state solution. The difference is that Mr. Netanyahu soon will be voted out of office and a new government in Israel will probably be more open to negotiating a two-state solution. In contrast, there will be no election in Gaza while Hamas is in control, and there will never be peace until Hamas is gone.
