Honest Question: Does Israel Recognize Palestine's Right To Exist?
With the impending invasion of Rafah, an honest look at history concludes the answer is no—and the horrifying receipts of Israel's opposition are plentiful
by QASIM RASHID
A December 8, 1988 New York Times report reads, “Yasir Arafat said today that the Palestine Liberation Organization accepted the existence of the state of Israel.”
This statement was reaffirmed in 1993. This year of 2024 marks 36 years that Palestinian leadership has been unequivocal that they recognize the right of Israel to exist, and seek an equitable and fair two-state solution. Instead, seven American administrations later and Palestinians, and the world, have only seen regression.
For example, illegal Israeli settlements have exploded across occupied Palestine from around 100,000 in 1988 to more than 600,000 now, all with seemingly silent approval from President Biden, and all with no hint of slowing down.
Likewise, on May 14, 2018 the United States shifted its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, contrary to international norms and understanding. This provocation reflected a complete dismissal of Palestinian Muslims living in Palestine and Israel—and indeed dismisses the view held by most of the world. This move ignored Palestinian Christians—who called the move “dangerous and insulting.” It also ignored most Jews—80% of them—who opposed the move from Tel Aviv.
Palestinians have pleaded their humanity with peaceful protest, and instead suffered massive, violent, and disproportionate consequences as a result. The UN reports that during the 2018 Great March for Return, for example:
These unarmed victims include the disabled and at least eight children, including 8 month old Leila Anwar al-Ghandour.
Israel justified the hundreds of Palestinian deaths by claiming it was merely “defending its borders,” but this too is a misdirection. More than 75 years after its creation Israel has still not defined its borders, refuses to do so despite repeated demands, and continues to move them unilaterally to fit its needs. Neither did the previous, nor has the current White House administration challenged Israel’s constant border advancement, even as they lead to more illegal settlements. Instead, the previous administration profited off of them.
Still, as recently as 2012, Israel’s own Supreme Court ordered the Israeli government to dismantle its illegal settlements. Similarly, the UN Security Council concluded in 2016:
All of this was to no avail, as illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land continue unabated even now in 2024.
And in this current siege on Gaza, one in which the ICJ ruled near unanimously ordering Israel to prevent genocide, critics of Palestine deflect by citing Hamas. As if to ignore Israel’s violent decades long military occupation, its refusal to define its boundaries, and its illegal settlements altogether, the focus remains on Hamas in the Gaza strip.
So what do we do about Hamas?
First we must understand the root cause of how Hamas came to be? It’s critical to note that while Israel was created in 1948, Hamas did not exist until nearly 40 years later in 1987. In other words, Hamas is not the historical provocation, it is the reaction. The demands of Palestinians for fairness, equity, and a right to return home far precede Hamas. I’ve been on and remain on record condemning Hamas’s war crimes on October 7, prosecution before the ICC for war crimes, and demanding unconditional return of all hostages. And this brings me to the second point.