What the pope knows and doesn’t know about Gaza

The new American-born pope, Leo XIV, recently took questions from reporters. One was: Does he see “hope … for a faster peace process in Gaza in this moment?”

His answer:

"The Holy See … has publicly supported the proposal of a two-state solution. We all know that in this moment Israel still does not accept this solution, but we see it as the only solution that could offer—let us say—a solution to the conflict that they continuously live.

We are also friends of Israel, and we try with the two sides to be a mediating voice that can help draw closer to a solution with justice for all".

So, the pope asserts that “in this moment Israel still does not accept [a two-state] solution.” The unavoidable implication here is that Israel’s contra party does, in fact, accept the solution and, therefore, Israeli intransigence is the only obstacle to that solution.

Who is Israel’s contra party in a two-state solution—the party that supposedly accepts the solution that Israel currently rejects? It must be either the Palestinian people or, alternatively, the State of Palestine. Let’s consider these possibilities, starting first with the Palestinian people.

There are millions of Palestinians; does each one accept a two-state solution? Does even a majority of those millions accept that solution?

We surely know that fully-fledged members of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups reject that solution. Anyone who has read the Hamas covenant knows that, for Hamas, the violent eradication of a non-Islamic state—Israel—on land that is an eternal Islamic trust or waqf, is an obligatory religious duty.

It will be said, in response, that Hamas members are a small minority of Palestinians, numbering only 20,000 to 30,000 persons. So, the views of a handful of fanatics would not prohibit a two-state solution. Although it’s true that only a small number of Palestinians are members of terrorist groups, nevertheless, a substantial percentage of all Palestinians favor the violent “resistance” perpetrated by terrorists and reject the notion of a two-state solution.

In an opinion poll of Palestinians, conducted from Oct. 22-25, by the Palestinian polling group People’s Company for Polls and Survey Research (“PCPSR”), 53% of those polled believed that Hamas acted correctly in launching its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 (P. 6 of PCPSR report). Moreover, among the Palestinians polled:

“45% support and 53% oppose the concept of a two-state solution, which was presented to the public without providing details” (p. 18). When details were provided, the results were even more emphatically negative.

Here is PCPSR’s finding:

We came back again to the same two-state solution issue. This time we asked the public if it agrees or disagrees with the following sentence: “I support a Palestinian political agreement that guarantees an end to the war, an end to the occupation, the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state and the normalization of relations between Israel and neighboring Arab states:” two thirds expressed opposition and only 31% expressed support (p. 19).

A majority of Palestinians approve the terrorism in southern Israel on Oct. 7, and a much bigger majority rejects a two-state solution.

The Palestinian people currently reject the two-state solution. Does the State of Palestine accept it? To pose that question is to assume that there is a State of Palestine, and that presents the first difficulty. Mahmoud Abbas, the “president” of the Palestinian Authority and so-called State of Palestine, is now in the 21st year of his four-year term as leader. And on Nov. 15, he turned 90.

Additionally, the State of Palestine allegedly is sovereign over three very small parcels of territory—the Gaza Strip, eastern Jerusalem and what Palestinians refer to as the occupied West Bank—and the fact is that Abbas has no authority whatsoever in two of those three parcels. Unified Jerusalem is de facto controlled entirely by Israel, whether or not the international community (other than the United States) recognizes unified Jerusalem as Israel’s de jure capital.

Abbas has not set foot in Gaza since 2007, when Hamas violently seized control of the Strip from forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority.  

Over the last 18 years, Abbas has been very careful to avoid Gaza because he knows that Hamas would assassinate him if given the chance.

So, the State of Palestine is a “state” with no legitimate government, with terrorists in full control of its supposedly sovereign territory in Gaza (until Israel ousted those terrorists) and with Israel in full control of its supposed “capital” in eastern Jerusalem. This is an unhappy caricature of a state, not a genuine one.

Even if there was a genuine, recognizable State of Palestine headed by Abbas, it would manifestly be unable to participate in a two-state solution. Abbas has demonstrated that he and his “government” lack the power and/or the will to provide the peace and security required for a two-state solution. Since 2007, he has been either unwilling or unable (or both) to dislodge Hamas from Gaza or even try to prevent it from launching a multitude of attacks against Israel, culminating in the Oct. 7 invasion. This proves that as a “partner” in a two-state solution, any State of Palestine would be controlled and indeed ruled by terrorists.

The pope has said that “in this moment Israel still does not accept” a two-state solution. But he apparently is unaware that polls show that Palestinian majorities reject that solution and that history demonstrates that the alleged State of Palestine cannot or will not stop terrorism. Thus, Israel is well-advised not to accept that solution “in this moment,” and still, the pope apparently fails to grasp this obvious truth.

It has been said: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The pope needs to take that saying to heart before offering any more opinions about Israel and the Palestinians.

© JNS