There have long been calls for a ‘Two-State Solution’ or recognition of a Palestinian state – whatever that means. Now Canada, France, and Britain are demanding a Palestinian state with Australia very likely to join them. A few inconvenient facts need to be offered here. Let’s begin with a timeline:
1917 – Britain takes control and Gaza becomes part of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Balfour Declaration expressed support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
1947, November 29 – the UN endorses the Partition Plan
1948, May 14 – Israel declares independence
1948, May 14 – Five Arab nations attack Israel
1949, February to July – The “Green Line” armistices
1949 to 1967 – Egypt controls Gaza but never integrates it
1967 – Israel takes over Gaza in the Six-Day War
1990s – The Palestinian Authority (PA) takes administrative control of Gaza after the Oslo Accords, in theory to offer Palestinian self-rule
2000 to 2005 – During the Second Intifada terrorist attacks from Gaza escalated
2005 – Israel withdraws from Gaza, giving it to Palestinians
2007 – They vote in the terrorist regime Hamas
2023, October 7 – The attack on Israel
The US ambassador to Israel from 2017-2021, David Friedman, in his recent book One Jewish State looks at this history in detail, and says this:
Not only has there never been a country called Palestine, but for centuries, there weren’t even any borders for Palestine – not being a country and not having sovereignty over any particular territory, it wasn’t relevant. It was all just a land mass within the Ottoman Empire. That needed to change with the conclusion of World War I as the Ottoman Turks relinquished their claim to Palestine.…
Under the British mandate for Palestine, the territory extended to what is today referred to as Gaza, Israel, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and Jordan. In 1946, the British transferred the Palestinian territory east of the Jordan River to the newly established Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. With that, approximately 72 percent of British Mandatory Palestine was no longer subject to administration under the mandate. The Kingdom of Jordan is thus a Palestinian state—a state created from almost three-quarters of Palestine. To this day, a majority of the inhabitants of Jordan are Palestinians as well. But the kings of Jordan—there have been four since the founding of the kingdom—have strenuously resisted being referred to by this reality. Jordan does not seek to absorb any more Palestinians—they want another Palestinian state to be created elsewhere.
After 1946, the British mandate had shrunk to just Gaza, Israel, and Judea and Samaria. By international law, this territory was earmarked as a homeland for the Jewish people. These rights derived first from the Balfour Declaration of 1917, whereby the British government undertook to favor the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine without prejudice to the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities. (pp. 46-47)
And in a booklet penned back in 2011, Sol Stern reminds us what this meant: “Forever after, Jews were forbidden to settle in any part of Transjordan. Four-fifths of the original Palestine mandate now became Judenrein [Jewish free].”
Many attempts over decades have failed to solve these problems in the Middle East. The son of a Hamas cofounder, and ex-Palestinian militant Mosab Hassan Yousef very accurately summarised the situation: “October 7 didn’t happen because ‘Palestinians’ were denied a state. It happened because they were given one.”
Melanie Phillips has penned a piece on this in a new Substack column. She says this in part:
As senior Hamas official Razi Hamad has exulted:
“The initiative of several countries to recognise a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7. We have proven that victory over Israel is not impossible, and our weapon is a symbol of Palestinian honour.”
Take a bow, Starmer, Macron and Carney, for empowering the Hamas genocide cult. Recognising “Palestine” is in itself ludicrous since this alleged state has no shape, no borders, no government; it is a phantom, and it cannot be willed into existence just because countries say they recognise it. And since its sole purpose — according to the Palestinian Arabs themselves — is to be a staging post for the destruction of Israel, Starmer, Macon and Carney have now signed up their countries to that infernal agenda.
In Britain, around 40 members of the House of Lords, including a number of eminent lawyers, wrote to the Attorney-General to warn fruitlessly that recognising “Palestine” would be illegal under international law. In a separate opinion Malcolm Shaw KC, another leading UK lawyer, has said recognising a Palestine state would destabilise the international legal order.
Israel is now caught in a trap. It’s being forced to make a diabolical choice between, on the one hand, being placed once again at the mercy of genocidal fanatics on its doorstep and, on the other, being destroyed by world opprobrium.
And James Macpherson has also written on this:
Recognition of a Palestinian State is so poorly thought through in fact… it probably isn’t even legal. Some of the UK’s most respected lawyers have written to Keir Starmer warning that recognising a Palestinian State would break international law.
They have pointed out that International Law says a state must possess four things:
-A defined territory.
-A permanent population.
-A government.
-The capacity to enter into relations with other states.
Palestine, awkwardly, ticks exactly none of these boxes. There’s no agreement over the borders of a proposed Palestinian state. And as for a permanent population, they point out that the Palestinians have always been regarded as refugees. If governments are now recognising Palestinians as a permanent population, then they should immediately be stripped of refugee status and the billions of dollars in funding that goes with it.
The 40 members of the House of Lords also argue that there is no functioning single government to recognise – half the territory the West wants to recognise as Palestine is governed by a group the West has proscribed as a terrorist group. https://dailydeclaration.org.au/2025/08/04/momentum-palestinian-statehood/
It is utter insanity to insist that a permanent Palestinian state be established on the border of Israel – a state run by those who have sworn to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Israel is entirely justified in not making any deals with Hamas and other terror organisations that exist for one purpose: to eradicate every single Jew, not just in the Middle East, but around the world.
The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Processby Spencer, Robert (Author)
Robert Spencer in his important book, The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process said this:
The Islamic doctrines of jihad, along with the supremacist and anti-Semitic passages of the Qur’an and Sunnah, have been responsible for the entire problem from the beginning up to now. They engendered the hostility that Arabs had for the Zionist settlers in Palestine, even as those Arabs moved close to the new Jewish arrivals in order to benefit from the economic opportunities they offered. They led to the failure of every negotiated peace settlement, because each was predicated upon the Arabs’ accepting the existence of a Jewish state in Palestine, no matter how small, and such a state was plainly un-Islamic, a violation of the Qur’anic command to “drive them out from where they drove you out.” They have led to the ferocious demonization of the Jewish state among young Palestinians, ensuring that the conflict will continue for decades to come no matter what agreements are made. (pp. 216-217)
And he says this about political settlements and the two-state solution:
Prime Ministers, presidents, diplomats, and other negotiators should also realize that the two-state solution and any other solution that will ever be devised will never blunt the force of the jihad against Israel, or take away the impetus for that jihad. In light of that, it doesn’t really matter which one is ultimately implemented; none will solve the problem.
The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 gave the world an intimation of what a Palestinian state would be like. Mortimer Zuckerman and the others who raised money for greenhouse equipment for the Palestinians assumed that once the Israelis were gone and the ‘occupation’ was over, the Palestinians would lay down their weapons and resume normal life. Many likewise continue to hope that if a Palestinian state is finally established, Palestinians will end their jihad against Israel and the two states will indeed live side by side in peace. But the ‘river to the sea’ chant that has become so popular among leftists in the United States is a maximalist imperative that leaves no room for any Jewish state at all. The State of Palestine would, like unoccupied Gaza, become a new base for jihad attacks against diminished Israel. It would inevitably be a rogue state, dedicated only to the destruction and conquest of its Jewish neighbour.” (pp. 218-219)
It is time to regain some mental and moral sanity here. With that in mind, four brief words from the courageous Dutch politician Geert Wilders are worth closing this piece with:
“Never compromise with evil. Destroy Hamas completely and ignore the useful idiots of the EU. Hamas is responsible for the famine and hell in Gaza, and no one else. If they want peace, they should surrender and free the hostages.”
“Hamas thugs force an Israeli hostage to dig his own grave. And weak and treacherous Western leaders and spokesmen call for sanctions against Israel. The West is sick. Hamas must disappear.”
“Victims don’t hold hostages. Savages do.”
“Heroes support the hostages. Traitors support Hamas.”
A few months ago, you wrote about European nations who are taking in large numbers of unvetted Muslim immigrants. Due to their much higher birth rates, many of these nations will likely have a Muslim majority by the end of this century. And many of them are also at the forefront of calling for a Two State Solution to divide Israel’s covenant land. A common reason given for this is because their politicians are pandering to their growing Muslim constituencies. But I wonder if it’s the other way around – that the reaon they’re gradually losing their nations to outsiders is because they’ve consistently opposed God’s promised restoration of Israel.
Isaiah 60 is one of the main biblical passages about this restoration. It begins with a familiar verse, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you” (v1). I’ve often heard Christians apply this to the church. But in context, the whole chapter is talking about Zion (Jerusalem) and the people of Israel. “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you … and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (v14).
But right in the middle of this chapter it says, “For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined” (v12). This ties in with God’s initial promise to Abraham and his descendants: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12:2). Sobering words for our nations!
Many thanks for that Denis.
Seems we are in a perilous position. Great article. Looks like we are in peril. We support those who hate Israel. And I have been amazed that Israel is feeding their enemies.
Thanks Katherine.
Brilliant article. I pray that spiritual eyes will be opened. A history lesson is needed. In particular the young conservative Christians who have recently been converted via old tropes and conspiracy theories; to full blown anti-semitism. There is no such thing as a difference between antisemitism and antizionism. Anti-zionism is just antissemitism dressed up in anti-zionist clothing and it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is currently devouring any Christian and conservative that it can, including big voices like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. I wouldn’t believe what currently occurring if I weren’t seeing it with my own eyes. In a very short amount of time the new rise of anti-sematism has grabbed a hold of people who used to love and stand by Israel, and arebnow shills for Hamas who are unwilling to listen to history or reason. Leading me to conclude only one thing; there is a spiritual blinding going on and we all need to pray and keep our eyes open lest the one who wants to devour all of us, devours us too.
Yes quite right Nerissa. There is clearly spiritual deception going on here.
Thanks for writing this article Bill.
We – the Australian public – need it.
So does the global “mainstream media”.
Thanks.
Many thanks Trevor.
Wonderful & much needed information! Thank you!
Why is this not common knowledge!!
Thanks Karen. We know the answer to your question. Israel-haters, including so much of the mainstream media, do NOT want the truth about this to get out. They want to demonise Israel while making excuses for Hamas and terror.
From the Christian perspective it is probably good to remember that from the various people like the Midianites and the sons of Ishmael and Esau, etc., there are many sons of Abraham who are not sons of Jacob, as is testified by the extensive use of circumcision. I just wonder how hard can it be for these people to understand that neither cutting off the hand of a thief nor what Hamas did are remotely anything like justice.
Thanks Bill. If Palestinians were to get their own state somewhere in the Middle East they would still be firing missiles at Israel and shouting ‘death’ to America. Israel is firing back this time and causing havoc. Why haven’t these people got out of the Gaza strip by now and who will take them? The neighbouring countries don’t seem to want them as they probably cannot feed and house them. Maybe I am wrong but there seems to be something holding up the evacuations.
While I easily agree with what Bill had to say, I would want to make an addition to his timeline, and add a bit more info. I do not have the year, but we can go back the times when the Romans had full control over the then (as now) smaller nation of Israel. They were the ones who first used the name Palestine in contemptuous form.
The Romans mockingly called the land of the Jews, Palestine. They did so as a slur, as if to say this was the land of the Philistines. In part, the Philistines controlled part of Israel, including Gaza, which they considered to be their turf. The Philistines were long gone by the time Rome took over, as Rome ruled it all at one point. But based on the Roman insult, those in that land previously run by the Philistines were the Jews, Israel if you will. The term, originally meant as mockery, ended up meaning the Jews.
But being the sort that I am, I like to know more about where people and things come from. Most of this I already knew from previous study. Philistia, to be technical, was a five city-state conglomerate. These are the people, the Philistines, that were a part of an invading group who thought they could take Egypt. They failed. Egypt repulsed them and sent them away with their tail between their legs. They ended up in what was called Gaza. But they were not from Gaza either. They just never made it back home.
Really, per Scripture, the Philistines were from Caphtor, which seems to be Crete, or another Greek local out that way. Having no place to go, they ended up in Gaza. The Greeks called it Philistia. The Romans, who later also knocked the Greeks back a couple of rungs on the ladder of world domination, used some of the Greek “gods” as their own, used some of the names intertwined with their Latin, and some other stuff. The Greeks mocked Israel, and the Romans did as well. They too chose to say Philistia or calling the Jews and the land of Israel, Philistine. Big bullies tend to do the same things. The name morphed in time to Palestine. And now you know.
So, here is my own take on it, which comes in the form of questions. Do those who are now called Palestinian claim to be Greek extracts? If not, then no claim there. Do those who are now called Palestinian claim to be Roman remainders? If not, then no claim there either. Here is the easy one. Do those who are now called Palestinian claim to be of Israel? We know that thought would be verboten among them. Seeing they hate all of Israel (as in “river to the sea” chants), that they are not something the Romans left behind, nor are they abstracts of Greek islanders, they are not actually Palestinian at all.
Cheers and thanks Bill!
Any one read Zephaniah 2: 4-11 recently?
Excellent article Bill! It’s all there for those who want to know… but it’s an evil & wicked generation.
Great article, Bill!
A few months ago, you wrote about European nations who are taking in large numbers of unvetted Muslim immigrants. Due to their much higher birth rates, many of these nations will likely have a Muslim majority by the end of this century. And many of them are also at the forefront of calling for a Two State Solution to divide Israel’s covenant land. A common reason given for this is because their politicians are pandering to their growing Muslim constituencies. But I wonder if it’s the other way around – that the reaon they’re gradually losing their nations to outsiders is because they’ve consistently opposed God’s promised restoration of Israel.
Isaiah 60 is one of the main biblical passages about this restoration. It begins with a familiar verse, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you” (v1). I’ve often heard Christians apply this to the church. But in context, the whole chapter is talking about Zion (Jerusalem) and the people of Israel. “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you … and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (v14).
But right in the middle of this chapter it says, “For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined” (v12). This ties in with God’s initial promise to Abraham and his descendants: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12:2). Sobering words for our nations!
Many thanks for that Denis.
Seems we are in a perilous position. Great article. Looks like we are in peril. We support those who hate Israel. And I have been amazed that Israel is feeding their enemies.
Thanks Katherine.
Brilliant article. I pray that spiritual eyes will be opened. A history lesson is needed. In particular the young conservative Christians who have recently been converted via old tropes and conspiracy theories; to full blown anti-semitism. There is no such thing as a difference between antisemitism and antizionism. Anti-zionism is just antissemitism dressed up in anti-zionist clothing and it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is currently devouring any Christian and conservative that it can, including big voices like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. I wouldn’t believe what currently occurring if I weren’t seeing it with my own eyes. In a very short amount of time the new rise of anti-sematism has grabbed a hold of people who used to love and stand by Israel, and arebnow shills for Hamas who are unwilling to listen to history or reason. Leading me to conclude only one thing; there is a spiritual blinding going on and we all need to pray and keep our eyes open lest the one who wants to devour all of us, devours us too.
Yes quite right Nerissa. There is clearly spiritual deception going on here.
Thanks for writing this article Bill.
We – the Australian public – need it.
So does the global “mainstream media”.
Thanks.
Many thanks Trevor.
Wonderful & much needed information! Thank you!
Why is this not common knowledge!!
Thanks Karen. We know the answer to your question. Israel-haters, including so much of the mainstream media, do NOT want the truth about this to get out. They want to demonise Israel while making excuses for Hamas and terror.
And Karen, see my new piece for more on how the media is so much to blame here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2025/08/05/genocide-and-starvation-in-gaza/
From the Christian perspective it is probably good to remember that from the various people like the Midianites and the sons of Ishmael and Esau, etc., there are many sons of Abraham who are not sons of Jacob, as is testified by the extensive use of circumcision. I just wonder how hard can it be for these people to understand that neither cutting off the hand of a thief nor what Hamas did are remotely anything like justice.
Thanks Bill. If Palestinians were to get their own state somewhere in the Middle East they would still be firing missiles at Israel and shouting ‘death’ to America. Israel is firing back this time and causing havoc. Why haven’t these people got out of the Gaza strip by now and who will take them? The neighbouring countries don’t seem to want them as they probably cannot feed and house them. Maybe I am wrong but there seems to be something holding up the evacuations.
While I easily agree with what Bill had to say, I would want to make an addition to his timeline, and add a bit more info. I do not have the year, but we can go back the times when the Romans had full control over the then (as now) smaller nation of Israel. They were the ones who first used the name Palestine in contemptuous form.
The Romans mockingly called the land of the Jews, Palestine. They did so as a slur, as if to say this was the land of the Philistines. In part, the Philistines controlled part of Israel, including Gaza, which they considered to be their turf. The Philistines were long gone by the time Rome took over, as Rome ruled it all at one point. But based on the Roman insult, those in that land previously run by the Philistines were the Jews, Israel if you will. The term, originally meant as mockery, ended up meaning the Jews.
But being the sort that I am, I like to know more about where people and things come from. Most of this I already knew from previous study. Philistia, to be technical, was a five city-state conglomerate. These are the people, the Philistines, that were a part of an invading group who thought they could take Egypt. They failed. Egypt repulsed them and sent them away with their tail between their legs. They ended up in what was called Gaza. But they were not from Gaza either. They just never made it back home.
Really, per Scripture, the Philistines were from Caphtor, which seems to be Crete, or another Greek local out that way. Having no place to go, they ended up in Gaza. The Greeks called it Philistia. The Romans, who later also knocked the Greeks back a couple of rungs on the ladder of world domination, used some of the Greek “gods” as their own, used some of the names intertwined with their Latin, and some other stuff. The Greeks mocked Israel, and the Romans did as well. They too chose to say Philistia or calling the Jews and the land of Israel, Philistine. Big bullies tend to do the same things. The name morphed in time to Palestine. And now you know.
So, here is my own take on it, which comes in the form of questions. Do those who are now called Palestinian claim to be Greek extracts? If not, then no claim there. Do those who are now called Palestinian claim to be Roman remainders? If not, then no claim there either. Here is the easy one. Do those who are now called Palestinian claim to be of Israel? We know that thought would be verboten among them. Seeing they hate all of Israel (as in “river to the sea” chants), that they are not something the Romans left behind, nor are they abstracts of Greek islanders, they are not actually Palestinian at all.
Cheers and thanks Bill!
Any one read Zephaniah 2: 4-11 recently?
Excellent article Bill! It’s all there for those who want to know… but it’s an evil & wicked generation.