New York City Council Member Jim Gennaro issued a pointed rebuttal to Pope Leo’s recent call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, stressing that the Pontiff’s vision overlooks decades of rejection by Palestinian leadership.
“As an observant Catholic, educated in Catholic institutions, and as a member of the New York City Council representing many Catholic parishes and Catholic institutions in Queens, I hold Pope Leo in the highest regard for his unwavering commitment to peace and justice in a world too often torn by conflict,” Gennaro said. “His recent remarks in Istanbul, advocating for a two-state solution as the only path to lasting harmony for Israelis and Palestinians, reflect a profound moral aspiration that resonates with the teachings of our faith on reconciliation and human dignity.”
Gennaro pointed out that history tells a different story. “Israel has repeatedly extended olive branches toward a two-state framework - through negotiations like the Camp David Accords in 2000, the Annapolis Conference in 2007, and many other earnest efforts - only to face consistent rejection,” he stated. “The actions and declarations of Palestinian leadership and much of the Palestinian populace reveal a deeper conviction: that the land ‘from the river to the sea’ rightfully belongs solely to them, leaving no room for a sovereign Jewish state.”
He continued, “The record shows clearly that the Palestinians have never pursued a two-state solution and have consistently rejected two-state solutions - even when offered a state that was crafted to what the Palestinians purportedly desired. Were the Palestinians to seek or accept their own state, that would mean accepting the existence of the current Jewish State of Israel, something the Palestinian leadership will never do, which the Palestinian leadership endlessly proclaims.”
Turning to Gaza, Gennaro recalled, “When Israel unilaterally turned over Gaza to the Palestinians, rather than living in peaceful co-existence with Israel, Gaza was converted into a strategic base for Hamas to fire missiles and wage unspeakable carnage on innocent Israeli civilians on October 7th.”
He warned that Pope Leo’s well-intentioned calls risk misrepresenting the situation: “It’s one thing for Pope Leo to have an aspirational wish for a different reality, but another to ignore the current and long-running state of affairs in which the Palestinian leadership has made it clear that their only aspiration is to kill Jews - not co-exist with them.”
Gennaro pointed to coexistence already present in Israel: “The only place that Israeli and Muslim coexistence happens in the region is within the State of Israel, where Muslims live in peace with Jews, run businesses, hold elected office, and are full partners in Israeli society. In my humble opinion, that is the reality that the Pontiff should point to as an example and beseech the Palestinians, with all the unequaled worldwide moral authority that Pope Leo possesses, to ask the Palestinians to emulate.”
He concluded with a call for clarity: “Time and again, Israel has offered the Palestinians a homeland. It is the Palestinians that have refused to accept it. Pope Leo, in my opinion, should urge the Palestinians to recognize Israel’s right to exist and use that as the starting point for lasting peace. Moreover, the alarming surge in antisemitic incidents worldwide stems directly from a moral lapse among leaders and influencers who blur the lines between Israel’s rightful self-defense and the genocidal ambitions of terrorist groups like Hamas. True justice demands clarity on this distinction to foster real peace, not illusions that perpetuate suffering.”