In recent weeks, governments from France to Australia and Canada to the United Kingdom announced that they planned to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this month. These gestures are presented as bold, moral stands for peace. In truth, they are nothing of the kind. They are a dangerous misstep that rewards terrorism, emboldens antisemitism, and makes genuine peace less likely.
Consider what has happened since October 7, when Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Jews since the founding of the State of Israel, slaughtering families, burning communities, and kidnapping children and grandparents. Since then, it rejected one ceasefire proposal after another that had been crafted by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. It refused to release hostages. It offered no vision of coexistence, only the destruction of Israel, as spelled out in its charter.
Yet, while Hamas sits in defiance, the world hands it a diplomatic prize. France, Australia, Canada, the UK, and others line up to say: Palestine is ready for statehood. Ready? With which government? Under which leadership? One sworn to annihilation? One incapable of the most basic responsibility of renouncing terror? One that shows disregard for Israeli lives while inflicting immeasurable pain on Gazans themselves?
Not every European leader fell into this trap. In the same interview in which she sharply criticized Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared that Denmark would not recognize a Palestinian state while Hamas controlled its territory. She said Denmark does not wish to “reward” Hamas for the atrocities of October 7.
The effect is obvious. Hamas learns that obstruction pays: Refuse compromise, hold on to hostages, rain rockets on civilians, and eventually world powers will cave.
This is not diplomacy. It is appeasement.
Even worse, many leaders shift the blame from Hamas to Israel.
Recognizing a Palestinian state appeases Hamas
As though the obstacle to peace lies not in Hamas’s charter of annihilation, not in the rockets it still fires at Israeli towns, not in the hostages it still hides in tunnels, but in Israel itself. The absurdity is staggering. The only democracy in the Middle East stands condemned, while the terror group that set off this war receives a diplomatic reward.
Why would respected democracies choose such a path? The answer lies not in Jerusalem, but in Paris, London, Sydney, and Toronto. These governments face mounting pressure from restive immigrant populations, particularly from the Arab world, who have taken to the streets since October 7.
Too often, those demonstrations have descended into antisemitic vitriol, intimidating Jews, vandalizing synagogues, and chanting for Israel’s eradication. Rather than confront this hate, some leaders hope that symbolic recognition of Palestine will buy quiet at home.
However, appeasement never works.
It does not pacify the mob; it emboldens it. Every concession convinces extremists that louder protests, harsher slogans, and greater intimidation will yield more rewards. Far from protecting their Jewish citizens, these governments signal that antisemitism in the streets pays dividends in foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Israelis and Palestinians are no closer to peace. Recognition handed out without negotiation devalues the very concept of a two-state solution. It turns statehood from the culmination of compromise into a consolation prize for intransigence. It strips Palestinians of the incentive to build institutions and leaders capable of governing responsibly. It denies Israelis the basic assurance that their security will not be bargained away for political convenience abroad.
Israel has proved its willingness to take risks for peace, time and again. From Camp David to Oslo to the Gaza disengagement, Israeli leaders staked their credibility on compromise. Each time, Palestinians answered with rejection and violence. The burden now rests squarely on Palestinian leaders to reject terror and embrace coexistence.
The message to the international community should be simple: Recognition of Palestinian statehood is the end point of a genuine peace process, not a free gift bestowed for obstruction and bloodshed. Anything else strengthens Hamas, emboldens antisemitic mobs, and undermines the very possibility of peace.
The writer is CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP), the recognized central coordinating body representing 50 diverse Jewish organizations on issues of national and international concern. His own opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the member organizations. Follow him on X at @daroff.