France, Britain, and Others Give Terrorists a Win | The American Spectator

French President Emmanuel Macron took to X on July 24 to announce: “Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine.” He placed no conditions on that recognition, beyond a vague remark that the demilitarization of Hamas “should be ensured”— a formulation so vague as to be meaningless.

Moreover, he made no demand that the Palestinian Authority recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, end its policy of paying stipends to the families of suicide bombers and other terrorists, or abandon its narrative of perpetual struggle against Zionism and incitement to hatred of Jews.

Several other major countries have since followed suit — most recently the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia — with New Zealand too now considering its position. All, like France, are considered allies of Israel. Slovenia, Ireland, Norway, and Spain have also announced recognition since the start of the Gaza war, which began with the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 others. (RELATED: Is Britain Becoming North Korea?)

These countries, along with many others, further advanced the statehood cause last week by voting in the United Nations to endorse a two-state solution. The endorsement, supported by 142 countries, condemned Hamas’s October 7 attacks and called for the surrender and disarmament of the terror group. But it also condemned Israel for defending itself and did not offer adequate commitment and assurance that terror groups would not be involved in any Palestinian state. (RELATED: A Palestinian ‘State’ Is Historically Ignorant)

In addition, it indirectly endorses a Palestinian right of return to areas in Israel by referring to U.N. Resolution 194; this directly threatens the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. These nations are expected to take yet another formal step at the upcoming General Assembly later this month by recognizing a Palestinian state itself.

Macron’s statement proved to be the opening shot in a wave of international moves that legitimize the fruits of mass violence and signal that terrorism can yield diplomatic rewards. (RELATED: Europe Learned the Wrong Lesson From the October 7 Attack)

The involvement of France and the U.K. stands out — not only as permanent members of the UN Security Council, but as G7 economies — along with Canada — whose actions carry global political weight. Neither France nor the U.K. has placed enforceable conditions on Hamas. Macron’s aside about demilitarization is a diplomatic fig leaf; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Hamas “must release all hostages and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza,” but he has stopped short of making those demands a condition. (RELATED: The UN Wants a New State Bent on the West’s Destruction)

From Israel’s standpoint, this is a dangerous omission. Recognition without dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure or removing it from power grants the group both a symbolic and strategic victory: statehood in all but name, while living to fight another day.

The reluctance to make Hamas’s removal a prerequisite reflects a toxic mix of appeasement and domestic political calculation. European leaders are playing to constituencies that have grown increasingly hostile to Israel. In doing so, they sidestep the hard security reality: a Palestinian state in which Hamas remains intact is not a partner for peace, but an armed launchpad for future war.

Nor do the French and British impose real demands on the Palestinian Authority. Instead, they accept at face value the Palestinian Authority’s familiar promises to urge Hamas to disarm, condemn terrorism, and implement reforms. Israelis have decades of experience with such broken promises.

October 7 proved — at horrific cost — that Hamas will use any respite to rearm and prepare for the next assault. By engaging in the recognition of a Palestinian state before Hamas is both disarmed and politically excluded, Paris and London risk confirming the lesson that terrorism works. Rather than advancing peace, they are creating a precedent that will embolden every faction committed to Israel’s destruction.

In fact, Macron’s statement immediately caused Hamas to drop out of ceasefire and hostage-release talks with Israel in the summer, as noted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, essentially rewarding the terror group and absolving it of the need to continue negotiations while thinking it could soon declare victory.

Recognition without neutralizing Hamas legitimizes an entity that may remain under the control or influence of a terrorist organization. This entrenches the problem Israel has faced since Hamas seized Gaza in 2007: a hostile, well-armed enclave committed to Israel’s destruction, free to restock rockets, train terrorists, and plan its next campaign — this time under the shield of sovereignty.

Imagining that Hamas will be removed by the Palestinian Authority is unrealistic, to say the least. The PA has repeatedly failed to assert its sovereignty. It is worth recalling that in 2005, when Israel withdrew from Gaza, a well-armed PA was in charge, and Hamas was still only a militia. Within two years, the PA had been driven out entirely. And while the PA’s rhetoric and tactics differ from Hamas’s, its long-term vision regarding Israel is not that different from that of Hamas.

If the massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of more than 250 hostages are rewarded with recognition, Hamas’s position will only be strengthened. Recognition under these conditions tells Palestinian leaders that violence and rejectionism carry no cost — and may even pay dividends. As Hamas political bureau member Ghazi Hamad told Al-Jazeera on Aug. 2, 2025, international recognition of a Palestinian state is an outcome of the October 7 attack.

Recognition outside a negotiated framework emboldens hardliners, marginalizes moderates, and erodes Israel’s leverage. Worst of all, Europe will have thrown away one of its few sources of pressure, trading real influence for empty symbolism.

Despite the headlines, recognition will change little on the ground. Its main impact will be symbolic, with tangible consequences likely confined to the legal arena — such as expanded Palestinian recourse to the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court. These gestures may generate diplomatic theater but will do nothing to address the conflict’s core drivers. Moreover, against the backdrop of recognition, Israel has now advanced strategically located settlement construction, notably the E-1 plan.

The danger is not that recognition will instantly enhance Palestinian capabilities, but that it will hand Hamas a political lifeline at the very moment Israel is pressing hardest on the battlefield. Hamas’s long-term goal remains Israel’s destruction, but its immediate priority is survival — maintaining its grip on Gaza and its influence over the Palestinian national movement. Recognition without disarmament bolsters Hamas at the very moment Israel is pressing to break that grip, hardening its resolve to reject a hostage deal and cling to power — handing the radical Islamist group a lifeline just as military pressure reaches its peak.

The questions ahead are stark: Is this wave of recognition a passing gesture or the start of a sustained shift? Is Europe engaged merely in moral posturing, or is it moving toward sustained pressure and even sanctions that undermine Israel — as seems increasingly likely? Either way, Israel cannot afford to wait. It must act decisively — militarily and diplomatically — to ensure that events on the ground, not gesture politics, determine the outcome. Only then can it lay the foundations for a Gaza that is no longer a launchpad for terror.

Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser is head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, where Ilan Evyatar is Director of Publications. 

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