Last August, Netanyahu publicly accused Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of betraying Israel over Australia’s intention to recognize a Palestinian Arab state. Today, Albanese rejected Netanyahu’s assertion that Canberra’s recognition of Palestinian Arab statehood contributed to the deadly antisemitic terror attack in Sydney’s Bondi area.
Albanese, for his part, acknowledged the surge in antisemitism and extremism but framed it as a broader societal challenge. “The rise in antisemitism and far-right extremism are both sources of threat and deep concern,” he said. “My responsibility as prime minister is to bring Australians together and overcome the forces that seek to divide us.”
Albanese said he “does not accept” any link between the policy decision and the attack, arguing that “overwhelmingly, most of the world recognizes a two-state solution as the way forward in the Middle East.”
Responses to inform Albanese and his fellow travelers around the World should include:
Response 1: Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, and many countries. Rewarding terrorism with statehood sets a dangerous precedent that violence achieves political goals.
Response 2: Israel has repeatedly offered peace negotiations and territorial concessions. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal led to thousands of rockets, not peace, proving good faith gestures aren't reciprocated.
Response 3: Hamas's charter explicitly calls for Israel's destruction. How can a state be established alongside another when its founding principle is eliminating its neighbor?
Response 4: The October 7 attacks targeted civilians, including peace activists and children. Rewarding such brutality with political gains encourages more terrorism globally.
Response 5: Peace requires mutual recognition. Palestinian Arab leadership has repeatedly rejected offers for statehood that required recognizing Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
Response 6: Gaza received billions in international aid that was diverted to terror infrastructure instead of building civil society. Why repeat this failed experiment?
Response 7: Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East with equal rights for all citizens, including Arab Israelis who serve in parliament, courts, and military.
Response 8: Jewish people are indigenous to this land with 3,000 years of continuous presence. Archaeological evidence and historical records support this undeniable connection.
Response 9: Creating a state that celebrates terrorism and pays salaries to terrorists' families (as the PA does) institutionalizes violence against innocent people.
Response 10: Anti-Semitism often disguises itself as anti-Zionism. When Israel is held to standards no other nation faces, it's important to examine the underlying prejudice.
The Dangerous Precedent of Rewarding Terrorism
The October 7, 2023 massacre represents one of the most heinous terrorist attacks in modern history. The systematic targeting of civilians, including the elderly, women, infants and children, was not an act of resistance-it was pure terrorism designed to maximize suffering and terror. Yet, disturbingly, some international leaders are using this very attack as justification for accelerating recognition of Palestinian Arab statehood, effectively rewarding the perpetrators and their supporters.
When world leaders call for immediate Palestinian Arab statehood in the aftermath of October 7, they send a chilling message: that terrorism works. This dangerous precedent threatens not only Israel's security but global stability. Terrorist organizations worldwide are watching closely to see if mass violence against civilians can achieve political objectives that peaceful negotiations could not.
The timing is particularly troubling. Rather than demanding accountability from Hamas and those who celebrated the massacre, some leaders are essentially validating the terrorist strategy. This approach undermines decades of international efforts to establish that terrorism must never be rewarded with political gains.
The Gaza Experiment: A Failed Model
Gaza serves as a stark example of what happens when territory is transferred without proper safeguards and genuine commitment to peace. In 2005, Israel undertook a painful withdrawal from Gaza, forcibly relocating thousands of Israeli civilians and dismantling thriving communities that had existed for decades. This withdrawal was intended as a confidence-building measure toward peace.
Instead of building schools, hospitals, and infrastructure for their people, Hamas and other terrorist groups used Gaza as a launching pad for increasingly sophisticated attacks against Israeli civilians. Over 15,000 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza since the withdrawal, turning what was meant to be a gesture of peace into a source of constant terror.
The international community poured billions of dollars in aid into Gaza, money that could have created a prosperous society. Instead, Hamas diverted these resources to build an extensive network of terror tunnels, acquire weapons, and train terrorists. The October 7 attack was the culmination of nearly two decades of militarization funded, in part, by international aid intended for civilian purposes.
Key Fact: Hamas has admitted to using hospitals, schools, and residential buildings as military installations, deliberately endangering Palestinian Arab civilians to gain sympathy when Israel responds to attacks.
Understanding the current push for statehood requires examining the nature of Palestinian Arab leadership. Hamas, which controlled Gaza, is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. Its founding charter explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews worldwide. This is not rhetoric-it's their stated mission, which they attempted to advance through the October 7 massacre.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of Judea and Samaria, aka the 'West Bank', also presents significant concerns. Their "Pay for Slay" program provides financial incentives to terrorists and their families, with payments increasing based on the number of Israelis killed. This policy institutionalizes terrorism and creates economic incentives for violence against civilians.
Both Palestinian Arab governing bodies have consistently rejected peace offers that required them to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. The 2000 Camp David Summit, the 2008 Olmert proposal, and numerous other peace initiatives have been rejected not because of territorial disputes, but because of the fundamental refusal to accept Israel's legitimacy.
Public opinion polls consistently show that a clear majority of Palestinian Arabs support armed resistance against Israeli civilians. This is not a population that has been prepared for peaceful coexistence, but one that has been indoctrinated for generations to view the destruction of Israel as a legitimate goal.
The rush to reward Palestinian Arab terrorism with statehood reveals a troubling double standard in international relations. No other nation on earth is expected to negotiate with entities that explicitly seek its destruction. No other country is pressured to make territorial concessions to groups that celebrate the murder of its civilians.
Israel has demonstrated unprecedented restraint and commitment to peace. Despite facing constant terrorism, Israel has offered numerous peace proposals, made significant territorial concessions, and continued to provide humanitarian aid even to hostile territories. The daily supply of electricity, medical supplies, and other essentials to Gaza continued right up until October 7, despite years of rocket attacks.
Meanwhile, other regional conflicts receive little international attention or pressure for resolution. The international community's singular focus on pressuring Israel, while ignoring the fundamental responsibility of Palestinian Arab leaders to reject terrorism and prepare their people for peace, reveals the antisemitic undercurrents that often drive anti-Israel sentiment.
If the international community genuinely seeks peace rather than the destruction of Israel, it must demand a fundamental shift in approach.
-Rather than rewarding terrorism with political gains, the international community must demand accountability.
-Hamas le-adership must face justice for their crimes against humanity.
-Palestinian Arab society must undergo a genuine process of de-radicalization, similar to post-war Germany and Japan.
-Any future Palestinian Arab leadership must meet basic criteria for statehood: renouncing terrorism, recognizing Israel's right to exist as a Jewish State, dismantling terrorist infrastructure, and preparing their population for peaceful coexistence.
These are not unreasonable demands-they are the minimum requirements for any legitimate government. The international community must also address the broader issue of antisemitism that fuels anti-Israel sentiment. The same hatred that led to centuries of persecution of Jews in Europe and elsewhere now manifests as denial of Jewish indigeneity to their ancestral homeland and support for those who seek to destroy the world's only Jewish state.
The October 7 massacre was not a cry for statehood-it was a declaration of genocidal intent. The systematic murder, torture, and kidnapping of civilians was designed to terrorize and destroy, not to advance legitimate political goals. Responding to such heinous acts by accelerating recognition of Palestinian Arab statehood sends a message that terrorism is an effective political strategy.
The international community faces a critical choice. It can stand with the forces of civilization by demanding accountability for terrorism and supporting the democratic values that Israel represents, or it can reward the perpetrators and enablers of mass murder with the political goals they seek.
History will judge harshly those who chose to reward terrorism in the aftermath of October 7. The memory of the victims and the cause of peace itself demand that we reject any attempt to transform this massacre into a political victory for those who perpetrated it.
The October 7 massacre shall not be rewarded with a terrorist state. Justice, peace, and human dignity demand nothing less than holding the perpetrators accountable and supporting those who truly seek peaceful coexistence in the region.
Dr. Michael Wiseis a founder and investor in numerous technology companies. He is a graduate of YU and holds a PhD .in Theoretical Physics from Brandeis U., is the author of Israel demography study (BESA) and has published numerous articles about Israel sovereignty and demographics in Judea and Samaria. mlwise@gmail.com