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France, Saudi Arabia, and the UN Want to Impose a Palestinian State; Here’s Why It’s a Disaster
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, Sept. 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Next month, France and Saudi Arabia will host a conference backed by the United Nations to create a plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state, without regard for Israel’s interests. In other words, the conference is designed to impose a two-state solution whether Israel likes it or not.
Clearly, it doesn’t matter to the French or the Saudis that a Palestinian state would present an existential threat to Israel — or be a reward for the Palestinian terrorism of October 7, 2023. It doesn’t matter that the leaders of such a state would be publicly committed to Israel’s eventual destruction. And it doesn’t even matter that polls show neither Israelis nor Palestinians want a two-state solution.
The leaders of France and Saudi Arabia also forget, or perhaps choose to ignore, the fact that the Palestinians have been offered statehood on several occasions, dating back to the 1947 UN partition plan. Indeed, within one decade alone, Israel offered the Palestinians statehood three times in the 2000s. Each offer was more generous than the last, and included nearly the entirety of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), the Gaza Strip, a capital in Jerusalem, and even territory within pre-1967 Israel. The Palestinians said no to each of these offers and responded to them with terrorism and bloodshed.
Moreover, for 18 years, there already was a de-facto two-state solution. In 2005, Israel completely withdrew from the Gaza Strip. The Gazan Palestinians were given complete autonomy to govern themselves and build a state. Instead, they turned Gaza into a base from which to attack Israel with the ultimate aim of destroying the Jewish State. Gaza’s Hamas rulers launched several wars against Israel, ultimately culminating in the October 7th massacre — the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. At the same time, the Palestinian Authority had autonomy in almost all of the West Bank.
The two-state solution died on October 7, 2023 — as it became clear that right now, the Palestinian have no desire to peacefully live alongside Israel (opinion polls show that Oct. 7 is still supported by a majority of Palestinians).
But tragically, many world leaders, including those of France and Saudi Arabia, are determined to press ahead anyway — despite Israel’s security needs and facts on the ground. So how should Israel respond?
Perhaps Israel should convene a conference with leaders of independence-seeking regions of France. Indeed, if French President Emmanuel Macron is so insistent on the Palestinians having a country of their own, he should be more than willing to grant independence to the peoples of these territories. And maybe Saudi Arabia should consider giving its oppressed Shiite minority in the east their own country.
A more practical response would be for Israel to present the upcoming conference with a list of demands in exchange for Palestinian statehood.
First, the Palestinians must accept that Israel is the national home of the Jewish people. In other words, say yes to a Jewish state — yes to thousands of years of proven Jewish history and sovereignty in the Holy Land, and yes to the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their native homeland. This must be done with actions, not just words.
Second, the Palestinians must renounce their so-called “Right of Return” — the right of millions of Palestinian “refugees” (which are largely non-direct descendants of refugees, including many who left on their own volition) to “return” to what is now Israel — a land that most of them have never seen, let alone lived in — so that they can erase Israel’s Jewish majority, and therefore, the Jewish state itself.
Third, the Palestinians must allow Jews complete and unfettered access to their holy places. This includes the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, where Jews are forbidden to pray per the terms of the “status quo” arrangement that gives exclusive control of the site to the Islamic waqf (religious trust) under the supervision of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Fourth, Jews should be permitted to live in what becomes the state of Palestine, just as Palestinian Arabs are permitted to live in the State of Israel. No expelling Jews as part of a two-state solution simply because they are Jews.
Fifth, demilitarization. A state of Palestine must not be allowed to have heavy weapons such as tanks or fighter aircraft, nor can it be a haven for Israel’s enemies. Palestine must not become an Iranian proxy, as the Gaza Strip became when Hamas took it over in 2007.
Sixth, and finally, once a Palestinian state is created, the Palestinians must renounce all claims to any part of Israel and declare that their conflict with the Jewish State is finished.
These are reasonable demands, but they are demands that the Palestinians will never agree to. Why? Because the vast majority of Palestinians have never wanted a two-state solution. They want all of “Palestine,” “From the River to the Sea,” as the genocidal slogan shouted at university campuses and public squares says. And that is the real reason there isn’t peace.
The author is a freelance writer in Toronto, Canada.
The post France, Saudi Arabia, and the UN Want to Impose a Palestinian State; Here’s Why It’s a Disaster first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hezbollah Says Lebanon Move on Army Plan Is ‘Opportunity,’ Urges Israel to Commit to Ceasefire
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”
Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan.
Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the government’s declaration on Friday that further implementation of a US roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel’s commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s implementation of the plan should remain “suspended until further notice.”
Lebanon’s cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Qmati said that Hezbollah “unequivocally rejected” those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken center stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah’s domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the specter of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
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UK Police Arrest Dozens at Latest Protest for Banned Palestine Action
Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organization.
Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained.
Palestine Action’s ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offense under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. “We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.”
Human rights groups have criticized Britain’s decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.
The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests.
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Macron’s Meeting with American Jewry ‘Won’t Happen’ Amid Palestinian Recognition Drive, Surge in Antisemitism
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
i24 News – French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to set up a meeting with American Jewish leaders later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
i24NEWS has learned that the meeting won’t happen, firstly because Macron was only available for the meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly during Rosh Hashanah, and yet, a person invited to meet with Macron and who has knowledge of the discussions told i24NEWS the sit-down simply wasn’t going to happen, anyway.
“I think the organizations, for the most part, would not have participated,” the person said, adding that AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee would have likely received invitations, among other entities.
“The guy has a 15% popularity rating in France. It’s not our job to help him out,” the person said.
Asked by i24NEWS whether Macron’s push for greater Palestinian state recognition or his lack of action in tackling antisemitism at home led to the stance of organized American Jewry, the person said it’s more of “the climate” which allows one to say ‘Look, the American Jews met with me,’ regardless of the content.”
The person said they are sure, if a meeting would have happened, that everybody in the room would have taken a hard line with Macron, including his “statements on Israel, the failure to respond to antisemitism” and France’s announcement this summer that it will recognize a Palestinian state later this month, and is leading an effort to get more countries to do the same.
But, the person told i24NEWS they are convinced that, in the end, while no final decision actually had to be taken, there was enough pressure that a consensus would have been reached to decline the meeting.
Of the timing of Rosh Hashanah allowing for leadership to not be forced to officially say no to Macron, the person said “G-d saves us every time.”
Another source familiar with the matter noted that it cannot be ruled out that Macron may eventually succeed in arranging a meeting with certain representatives, as the organizations are not a single unified body. However, he is unlikely to be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of groups representing American Jewry.
i24NEWS has also learned that French President Emmanuel Macron explored the possibility of visiting Israel ahead of the convention, but was advised by the Prime Minister’s Office that the timing was inappropriate. The message came as Macron continues to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move Israel strongly opposes. Sources further told i24NEWS that Israel is weighing additional retaliatory measures against Macron, including the potential closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank.