All these factors, and more, give credence to Israel's claims of legitimacy, namely, that the Jewish people are rightful owners and occupiers of all of Israel. It therefore takes a strong dose of purposed cognitive dissonance, religious fanaticism, ignorance, naiveté or even anti-Semitism, to deny Israel's claims. When taking all these considerations into account, it is understandable that renowned international law expert Jacques Gauthier urges the Jewish people of Israel, "Never allow people to tell you that you are trespassers. It's your land; it's been given to you in law."
The March 28 recognition by Norway, Ireland, and Spain of a non-existent Palestinian state – one without a functioning government, a definable border or even a viable economy -- has been shown to reflect an anti-Semitic bias by those nations when compared to the attitudes of Europe's other countries, which do not, at present, accept legitimacy of a non-existent, Palestinian state.
Although 145 UN members "currently recognise a Palestinian state, this doesn't make it so, " wrote the author James Sinkinson. What exactly does recognition of such a state entail in practice? Exclusive Islamist ownership of the land? What areas of land are these nations referencing exactly? Do they validate the legitimacy of radical Islamism and a jihadist government with its own military? Who has jurisdiction to make these decisions? What about the Jews and their claims? Will the result be a jihadist, Islamist, Palestinian Gaza and West Bank with a little bit of land in-between for Jews so that they are eventually squeezed or murdered out of existence? Will these countries try to force this recognition onto Israel?
With these questions and more, "recognition" makes no sense. All it does is to expose these countries' historic antisemitism, raise false expectations and create the danger of more deaths far from the countries making these unnecessary, sanctimonious, cost-free claims. Unilateral recognition of "Palestine" will inevitably result in yet another failed state, inhabited by jihadi terrorists, openly eager to repeat the terror of October 7, 2023 on Israel's population.
On July 17, 2024, Israel doubled-down on its rights to the land. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, or any part of one, "on any piece of land west of the Jordon river." The situation is now clear: there is no chance of Israel agreeing to a so-called "two-state solution." to the Palestinian question. The Oslo Accords, having died a long time ago, are now officially dead.
Therefore, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a finding on July 19, two days after the Knesset resolution, to the effect that "the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied:
"The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our own capital Jerusalem, nor in Judea and Samaria our historical homeland. No absurd opinion at the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal rights of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home."
The part of Israel known as the Gaza Strip is presently occupied by so-called Palestinians, who are simply residents there by the grace of Israel, which, for the sake of peace and future Gazan prosperity, decided in 2005 that they could reside there with no Jew in sight. Unfortunately, instead using the billions given them to build a Dubai on the Mediterranean, they built an underground city of terror tunnels instead.
Palestinians are Arabs who settled on the land, just like the Hebrews, the Jewish people who have lived there nearly four millennia. George Mason University Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich, a specialist in international law, notes that "all the arguments that make Israel out to be an occupying force collapse under the weight of a single, simple fact: A country cannot occupy territory to which it has a legal claim."
It appears, then, that Islamist strategy is to take ownership of certain words to reverse their intended application. For this reason, Jews are referred to as "occupiers" of Israel, implying that Gaza, Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem comprise the original Palestinian homeland despite voluminous written and archaeological evidence to the contrary.
Israeli Jews cannot validly be accused of illegally occupying their own land. To the contrary, Palestinians and their allies are in occupation of Israel's land and are therefore subject to Israel's jurisdiction and control. They might resent the fact that the land belongs to Israel and the Jewish people who have the exclusive right of occupation, along with those whom Israel welcomes.
Journalists deceive their audience by endorsing, without investigative effort, the standpoint of many political leaders in the West. Compliance with editorial culture can be a mitigating factor, yet journalists worthy of the name -- such as those who exposed the Watergate and other significant scandals -- are prepared expose the real story. Still, political loyalties can make a play: it was reported of even the highly respected journalist Carl Bernstein that he "admits Democrats have told him for 18 months that Joe Biden is not fit to serve a second term." Yet, where was the posting of this vital information?
When the UN recognized "Palestine as eligible for statehood," noted the French-Canadian attorney and scholar Jacques Gauthier, "many people wouldn't be following this falsehood if they knew the true narrative."
Accordingly, it is the task of journalists of courage -- from all spheres of the political divide – always to carefully investigate the validity of each party's claim. Should they do so in this instance, the outcome becomes clear: the land belongs to the Jewish people, and those they graciously welcome there -- not to anyone else. As this is not the conclusion that many writers and their editors seek, the propaganda of a Palestinian victimhood theory, coupled to a negation of Israel's land claims, will in all likelihood persist. As an attempted solution, Newsweek now displays on its website a "Fairness Meter," asking readers to indicate the level of bias or fairness (factuality) of a published article. Perhaps more news sites might consider a like idea.
To counter the prevailing "conventional wisdom" that often impedes the truth of a story, it is time, as James Bennet wrote, for journalistic "courage combined with a critical approach, objectivity, fairness, and integrity" to again take a rightful place in restoring public trust in the media. These requirements are particularly necessary in matters of international importance such as the intentions of Russia or China, or the claims of Iran and its proxies such as the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas. It is time for realism and truth to dominate the narrative, not idealism and ideology.
