Recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN is not just a failure of diplomacy

This week at the U.N. General Assembly, more than a dozen countries, led by France, are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state less than two years after the Palestinians carried out the worst massacre of Jews in modern history on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinian statehood would represent the ultimate reward for the most horrific terrorism, the very antithesis of the land for peace formula.

How could this happen as Israel fights a bitter war against Hamas and Iranian terror proxies on seven fronts, and with Israel’s greatest diplomat, Benjamin Netanyahu, at the helm?

Early diplomatic successes

At the beginning of the war, Netanyahu demonstrated his longstanding diplomatic acumen.

Immediately following the Oct. 7 massacre, Israel’s longest-tenured prime minister lobbied world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others, to show their support for the Jewish state as Israel prepared its military response to eliminate Hamas.

These visits demonstrated that, in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas and Palestinian atrocities against civilians, Israel could command sympathy, solidarity and public support of the Western world’s most powerful leaders.