The Palestinian issue has a profound historical origin, but for it as a political issue at present, the solution should be based on its current real situation. In this regard, I appreciate Singapore's recent official stance: Singapore will recognize the state of Palestine, but on the condition that Palestine has an effective government that recognizes Israel's right to exist and explicitly rejects all forms of terrorism.
On September 30th, Gaza refugees left after receiving supplies from a relief center managed by the United States and Israel. (Agence France Presse)
The most notable topic of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in September this year was the recognition of the State of Palestine by Western countries including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Portugal, and Belgium. Out of the current 193 member states of the United Nations, 157 have recognized the state of Palestine.
From an international moral perspective, it is evident that the international community generally supports the state of Palestine. The other side of this issue, of course, is that Israel is facing the most severe international isolation since its founding. After all, in recent years, some Western countries have recognized the state of Palestine, which is also an expression of dissatisfaction with Israel's Palestinian policy.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly condemned the recognition of the Palestinian state by countries such as Britain and France, claiming that it was a disguised support for terrorist forces such as Hamas, and insisting that the Palestinian state would not emerge. Moreover, he also claimed to respond or even retaliate against this development in the international community. In this situation, calls within Israel for the annexation of the West Bank of Palestine have become commonplace.
It can be imagined that once Israel's policy towards the West Bank undergoes a qualitative change and reoccupies, Israel will face heavier international pressure, and there is also a risk of higher intensity conflicts erupting in the Middle East. Therefore, whether in response to international concerns or for Israel's security, US President Trump has called on Israel not to annex the West Bank. 178 members of the US House of Representatives also jointly sent a letter to Netanyahu, warning Israel not to annex Palestinian land such as the West Bank or Gaza.
Netanyahu originally hoped to save the domestic political situation by achieving significant victories abroad, but things have backfired. Currently, Israel's international isolation is causing him increasingly negative impacts. Of course, many people within Israel are dissatisfied with Netanyahu, but given the current state of the country, he is still the most suitable leader for Israel.
Jewish evacuation from Gaza leads to rise of Hamas
In recent years, Israel's politics has sharply shifted to the right, and there has been a strong call for tough measures against hostile forces such as Hamas and Iran. In the eyes of Israelis, the attack on October 7, 2023, proves the failure of Israel's policy experiment towards Gaza or Palestine. In 2005, despite strong opposition from right-wing forces such as Likud, the Israeli Sharon government implemented a unilateral action plan, with the Defense Forces and police forcibly evacuating Jewish settlers from Gaza, ending the 38 year long direct occupation there. This led to the rapid rise of Hamas in Gaza. After a direct conflict with the largest Palestinian force, Fatah, in 2007, Hamas seized control of Gaza by force and expelled Fatah.
Afterwards, Hamas, based in Gaza and supported by some international forces, actively carried out activities against Israel, which ultimately led to the cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in the killing of over a thousand people in Israel and more than 250 hostages being taken back to Gaza. This is the first military invasion of Israel since the Fourth Middle East War in 1973, and also the most devastating external attack that resulted in casualties.
The attack launched by Hamas seriously undermines Israel's national security concept, and Israelis are even more skeptical of peace with the Palestinians. Therefore, they believe that there is only one way to resolve the conflict with Palestine, which is to use force to suppress and conquer, completely depriving Palestinians of the ability to threaten Israel's security.
So, after the October 7th attack, Israeli decision-makers listed the complete destruction of Hamas as the primary goal of the Gaza war, rather than rescuing hostages.
In fact, after the attack on October 7th, the international community condemned Hamas and there were more voices sympathetic to Israel. Even Palestinian President Abbas has condemned Hamas for launching this attack more than once. To this day, disarming Hamas and prohibiting its participation in future Gaza governance has become an international consensus. On September 12, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution with 142 votes in favor, 10 votes against, and 12 abstentions, namely the "New York Declaration in Support of the Peaceful Resolution of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two State Solution" (referred to as the "New York Declaration"), which clearly stated this.
However, Netanyahu and his government were not satisfied with the New York Declaration, as it also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. This is in stark contrast to Israel's military takeover of Gaza and denial of Palestine's right to establish a state.
It is worth noting that until today, several Western countries such as Britain and France have only recognized the state of Palestine. Their actions are not solely driven by support for Palestine or dissatisfaction with Israel, but by multiple factors, including responses to the voices of domestic voters. If there is no strong pressure on Israel, such recognition will not be of much help to the Palestinians. Moreover, I do not believe that Western countries or the international community will impose effective sanctions on Israel under the current circumstances.
It is extremely difficult to form a government that can effectively govern
To be frank, although over 80% of UN member states have recognized the state of Palestine, it does not mean that the conditions for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state are already met. The Palestinian issue has a profound historical origin, but for it as a political issue at present, the solution should be based on the current real situation. In this regard, I appreciate Singapore's recent official stance: Singapore will recognize the state of Palestine, but on the condition that Palestine has an effective government that recognizes Israel's right to exist and explicitly rejects all forms of terrorism.
Indeed, in terms of internal division within Palestine, it is still very difficult to form an effective government that can govern, as evidenced by the past leadership of Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian National Authority over Palestine. The severe factional divisions within Palestine are one of the key factors that constrain its ability to achieve political ideals. If a Palestinian state is forcibly established at this time, it can be asserted that this country is difficult to have unity and independence.
Furthermore, establishing a state requires land. On which land will the Palestinian state be built? Based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, it remains the insistence of the Palestinian National Authority and has received widespread support from the international community. However, currently there are 160 Israeli settlements scattered throughout these two regions, inhabited by 700000 Jews; The entire Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem, is completely under Israeli control, and the Palestinian National Authority is only autonomous in a small part of the West Bank.
Can a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital really become a reality in this situation? It's impossible. Unless Israel is militarily conquered, no Israeli leader can agree to the establishment of a fully independent Palestinian state on the entire West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. The October 7th attack further ended this prospect.
If the Palestinian state can ultimately be established, the territory can only be the result of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians under international coordination, and the Palestinian side will definitely make greater compromises.
Therefore, recently Western countries have recognized the state of Palestine, which certainly has positive significance. It at least puts the Palestinian issue in the international spotlight, but this does not provide substantial help for the resolution of the Palestinian issue. To solve the Palestinian issue, it is even more urgent to first unify the position within Palestine, and then engage in direct negotiations guided by peace between Israel and Palestine. In this process, there is a special need for fairness and justice from the international community.
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