EDITORIAL: Palestinian statehood would reward terror

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Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he’s making a major U-turn in Canada’s foreign policy and will join with other G-7 leaders in calling for a Palestinian state.

As well, Canada’s foreign minister joined with 14 other countries in signing a statement expressing, “our unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side.”

Carney followed the lead of French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who have both indicated they’ll bring the matter to the United Nations in September.

This would be foolish virtue-signalling for this country. Carney is under the delusion that Hamas has any interest in allowing free elections in Gaza, which is nonsense.

The suffering of the people of Gaza is horrendous, but let’s not forget it was Hamas who brought it about. When they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, they brutally murdered some 1,200 civilians in one of the worst terror attacks on Israeli soil. They also took 251 innocent people hostage. The Associated Press reported in June there are still 50 hostages in Gaza. Israel believes 27 of them are dead. Israel and the U.S. recently walked away from talks with Hamas in Qatar, citing Hamas’s “lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.” Steve Witkoff, the U.S. negotiator, said they will have to find “alternate methods” to bring the hostages home. He was quoted in The Guardian, “While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.”

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Now Canada is prepared to reward Hamas’s intransigence by giving them exactly what they want.

Before any agreement to grant statehood is made, Hamas should meet some conditions: Palestinians should acknowledge unequivocally Israel’s right to exist. That statement should then be endorsed by all Arab states globally.

Prime Minister Mark Carney spouts piffle about a “two-state solution.” That’s a pipe dream which neither of the two states wants. If Hamas isn’t interested in ceasefire talks, what hope is there of reaching a two-state solution?

And how can the UN agree to statehood for a country whose international boundaries have not been established? All it does is reward terror and embolden Hamas to commit even more acts of brutality against Israel.