"[Creating a Palestinian state will reward] a terrorist organization that is completely in control of that piece of land [and] that took millions of dollars … given to the Palestinians to help the Palestinians – [and] instead of building universities, instead of turning it into 'Singapore of the Middle East,' built tunnels to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, creating basically a fort – above ground and underground – with the sole purpose of becoming a terrorist state to terrorize the state of Israel and kill Israeli civilians." Brigitte Gabriel, founder and president |
The chant "From the river to the sea!" is popularized by Palestinians – and more recently college students on America's campuses – to say the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea should belong to them. In essence, it means pushing the state of Israel into the sea.
Ohad Tal, a member of the Israeli Knesset, warns "from the river to the sea" will take a big step closer to reality if Ireland, Spain and Norway get their wish. Those three nations announced Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state as a solution to the Israel-Hamas war which has raged since Hamas terrorists left their previous state – the Gaza strip – to set out on a rampage of murder, rape and kidnapping last Oct. 7.
"It's crazy because that will pose an existential threat to the very existence of the state of Israel to have another terrorist state in our heartland," Tal said on Washington Watch Wednesday.
Tal is adamant that a two-state solution is not in Israel's future plans. "We will not allow that. We will not accept that. It's not going to happen," he told show host Tony Perkins.
Quickly blocking out Oct. 7 atrocities
Public sympathy quickly shifted from Israel and its estimated 1,200 victims last fall. Now, many in the world community accuse Israel of "genocide" because of civilian deaths as it pursues Hamas, which hides among the civilians it is charged with governing.
Just this week Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, announced that he will pursue arrest warrants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. For good measure, Hamas leaders now will be sought for arrest too, seven months after the attacks which brought everything to this point.
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There is no 'international law'
Israel right now feels very much alone in the world, Tal said, largely due to the response from the U.S.
"The current administration in America is very concerning. I mean, Hamas is now holding about 130 hostages. They are still in their hands," he noted. "So, we're not allowed to bring them back? We're not allowed to protect ourselves? We're not allowed to make sure that Hamas is eradicated, that they will not be able to commit another brutal massacre against our people? This is what it means?
"So, this is not something you would expect to see from our allies – and if our allies do not understand that then yes, we are concerned."
Tal said the joint statement by Ireland, Spain and Norway is hypocrisy.
"It's outrageous because what is actually the meaning of 'recognizing' a Palestinian state? It means that we want to give a reward to those who came and butchered our families, raped our women, beheaded our little children. [It is saying] We want to reward them," Tal said.
Hamas: 'Terror is what we do'
Hamas, supported in its terrorist aims by Iran, was elected by Palestinians in Gaza in 2006. The organization Hamas was founded in 1987, modern-day kinsman of the Muslim Brotherhood which was founded in Egypt in the 1920s.
The Oct. 7 attacks were clear support for the group's founding charter, which calls for the annihilation of Israel.
Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza strip in 2005, leaving the Palestinians to govern themselves. They elected Hamas and haven't had another election since. Therefore, according to Tal, a Palestinian state effectively has already existed for 20 years.
"[And] what have we got for that? Only terror and missiles on our cities. So, now we want to take this brilliant success and expand it to the whole area of Judea and Samaria, just a few kilometers from Tel Aviv, from Jerusalem, from Ben Gurion airport?" Tal asked. "These are the people who now Norway and Ireland and Spain … [are] going to recognize and give them a state for reward. It's absolutely craziness."
A Palestinian state would almost certainly mean that Israel would give up control of parts Judea and Samaria, an area known also as the West Bank, which is divided into three categories: Area A is controlled by the Palestinian Authority; Area B under joint Israeli-Palestinian control; Area C is controlled by the Israelis.
In this scenario, Israel would give up control of some of the most holy sites in its history and in the Christian faith.
It would be "basically the cradle of the Jewish people's existence. They want to take that and give it to the Palestinians in order to have another terrorist state at the heartland of the Jewish people," Tal said. "That's to take the holiest sites like Hebron and Shiloh and Bethlehem, and it's Jerusalem, and give it to the Palestinians."
The three European countries contend the two-state solution is necessary for lasting peace and stability in the region.
Though the Palestinians have no land, 140 out of 193 member states of the United Nations recognize Palestinian statehood. However, only Spain, Norway, Ireland, Croatia and Belgium recognize Palestinian statehood among the 27 member states of the European Union.
"History has proven and October 7th proved beyond any doubt that every time Israel has given away parts of the land to the Arabs, we haven't got any peace. We haven't got any prosperity, any stability. We've only gotten death and bloodshed from that," Tal argued.
Critics want to see a weakened Israel
The international response is rooted in anti-Semitism, Tal continued. "It's part of the same ideology. They want to see Israel weak. They want to see Israel getting bitten by our neighbors here in the Middle East."
Tal repeated what Netanyahu has said since the beginning of the war – that regardless of world opinion, Israel will finish the job.
"The Jewish people have suffered for 2,000 years of persecutions and anti-Semitism. We will not allow these countries to dictate the future of the Jewish people. We will fight. We will protect ourselves. And if we have to do it all by ourselves, we will do it all by ourselves."
