LOS ANGELES (CC).00Saying he would not go along with other European Union countries to recognize a Palestinian State at the U.N. General Assembly in September, 69-year-old Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Palestinians have been lobbying for a state in the U.S. claiming Israel has forced a famine on the Gaza Strip because of the nearly two year war with Hamas. “We will not join this initiative,” Merz said at a joint press conference with Carney in Berlin. “We do not consider the conditions for state recognition to be fulfilled in any way at present,” Merz said. Pressure on U.S. members to approve a Palestinian state stems from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza where a band of Hamas terrorists refuse to accept exile and return what’s left of the hostages, possibly 20 still alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjanim Netanyahu presses ahead with the war now entering a door-to-door hand combat phase with what’s left of Hamas terrorists. Some EU members think approving Palestinian statehood would change Netanyahu’s policy seeking to oust Hamas from the Gaza Strip. All EU members and Arab States know that Hamas cannot continue to rule Gaza with their long history of looting the Mediterranean seaside territory. Whatever famine or humanitarian crisis exists in Gaza, it’s due to the ongoing war, started Oct. 7, 2021 when Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel, massacring 1,200 Israelis, taking another 250 hostage. Germany does not agree with Macron and Carney that recognizing a Palestinian state would do anything to change Israel’s policy. If the EU wants to play a contructive role, they’d ask Hamas to get out of Gaza to start the next rebuild.
Hamas spent the last 20 years fleecing the Gaza Strip of its generous donor cash from oil-rich Gulf States. Instead of using the cash to build infrastructure, Hamas senior officials enriched themselves with former leaders like the late Palestinian leader Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal becoming billionaires. So, when it comes to rebuilding the war-torn Gaza Strip no one could trust Hamas with one penny. Whatever the merits of a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it can’t be with a terror organization like Hamas, essentially a proxy militant group funded by Iran to inflict mass casualties on Israel. With Israel recently completing its 12-day war with Iran, Netanyahu is in no mood to make concessions to Hamas knowing their ties to Tehran. Merz needs to convince his fellow EU members to take a stand on ending Hamas rule in Gaza.
Recognizing a Palestinian state means very little unless it was approved in the U.N. Security Counsel. President Donald Trump would oppose a Palestinian state knowing that Israel still faces brutal hand-to-hand combat battling Hamas in Gaza. Hamas thinks it can hold out in Gaza’s military tunnels indefinitely, outlasting Netanyahu while Hamas lobbies for Palestinian State recognition. How Macron and Carney can back a Palestinian state while Hamas is still in the picture is anyone’s guess? Macron and Carney tend to vote with the most radical leftist parties in the EU, attesting to their socialist roots. But when it comes to the war with Hamas, Netanyahu knows there’s no placating a vicious enemy that calls for Israel’s destruction. Hamas was founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin to serve as the armed wing of Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Israel has a long history of assassinating Hamas leaders, including killing Yassin and his successor Abdel Azziz al-Rantisi in 2004. More recently Israeli killed Oct. 7, 2021 mastermind Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his successor his brother Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025. So when it comes to getting concessions from Hamas, it’s not likely with all the bad blood from a long history. EU officials have been remiss in not demanding with Arab states that Hamas leave the Gaza Strip to spare 2.3 million Palestinians more suffering. Hamas was so embedded in all aspects of Palestinian life they have headquarters in hospitals, schools and NGOs all over the Gaza Strip. Arab States have called recently for Hamas to leave Gaza and the time is long overdue for the EU to do the same. Declaring an independent Palestinian state won’t stop Netanyahu from finishing the job.
Merz said it right that the time is not right for a Palestinian state as long as Hamas continues to rule the Gaza Strip. Arab States and the EU must apply maxiumu pressure to get Hamas an exile deal where they can live to see another day in their obsessions to destroy the Jewish State. There’s no doubt that the Ayatollah would give Hamas as safe haven, even knowing that that the oppose Iran’s Shitte religion. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei exploited Hamas to advance his anti-Israel agenda, even though there’s no real compatibility between Arabs and Persians. Netanyahu, fresh off fighting a 12-day war with Iran, is in no position to compromise on his war in Hamas. Israel has sacrificed too much to give up now, letting Hamas stay in power. Netanyahu and Trump won’t be swayed by any move in the U.N. to recognized a Palestinian state.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
