Op-Ed: Sarah Stern: Why the UN’s push for a Palestinian state is a dangerous mistake for America and its allies
Sarah Stern explains why any recognition of a Palestinian state at this juncture would be a geopolitical disaster.
The United Nations is preparing to vote this week on a resolution that would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. On the surface, some may view this as a long-awaited step toward peace. In reality, it is profoundly misguided. It rewards terrorism, abandons American hostages, undermines Israel — our strongest ally in the Middle East — and emboldens adversaries who threaten U.S. national security interests.
For U.S. policymakers, the stakes could not be higher.
The Palestinian leadership has rejected every serious peace initiative that required compromise, going back to the Peel Commission of 1937. Instead, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Authority have chosen the path of violence: massacring civilians, launching indiscriminate rocket attacks, and holding hostages — including Americans. To reward such behavior with statehood is to send a dangerous message: that terrorism yields political prizes.
For the United States, this is not an abstract issue. If Hamas can commit atrocities and still win recognition, then terrorist organizations everywhere — from Hezbollah to ISIS affiliates — will interpret it as a green light. America’s credibility in combating terrorism would be severely weakened, both at the UN and on the world stage. The U.S. cannot afford to allow the world’s premier multilateral body to enshrine the principle that murder and kidnapping can lead to sovereignty.
Dozens of Israelis remain in Hamas captivity, alongside American citizens whose fates remain uncertain. Yet the UN resolution makes no mention of their plight. Recognition of a Palestinian state will not free a single hostage; if anything, it will remove what little leverage the international community retains.
Congress and the Trump administration should be united in demanding that the immediate, unconditional release of hostages — American and Israeli alike — be the first prerequisite for any diplomatic progress. To proceed otherwise is not only a betrayal of American families but an abandonment of the principles of justice and accountability.
Israel is not just another foreign partner. It is America’s most reliable ally in a volatile region, sharing both democratic values and critical intelligence. A premature declaration of Palestinian statehood, absent the dismantling of Hamas and other terror groups, would place Israel in existential danger.
That danger would quickly reverberate beyond Israel’s borders. A strengthened Hamas means a strengthened Iran. It means more weapons for Hezbollah on Israel’s northern frontier, more chaos in the Red Sea threatening global shipping, and more attacks on U.S. troops and allies across the Middle East. For Congress, this is not merely a question of Israel’s security — it is a direct challenge to America’s own strategic interests.
Peace cannot be imposed from conference halls in Turtle Bay. It must be built on mutual recognition, security guarantees, and a renunciation of violence. By bypassing negotiations and granting unilateral recognition, the UN undermines the very principles of diplomacy that the United States has championed for decades.
The last time Israel ceded territory without enforceable security arrangements — Gaza in 2005 — the result was disastrous. Rather than becoming a steppingstone toward peace, Gaza was transformed into a terrorist stronghold. Hamas quickly consolidated power, stockpiled weapons, and launched wars against Israel. To repeat that mistake on a larger scale, with international blessing, would be catastrophic.
American policymakers should recall that lesson. Recognizing a Palestinian state under current conditions does not bring the region closer to peace — it ensures the cycle of violence will deepen.
At this critical moment, U.S. leadership is indispensable. Congress and the administration must make clear that the United States will oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards terrorism and undermines its closest ally.
Our message should be unambiguous: the U.S. stands with Israel, demands the release of American and Israeli hostages, and insists that any Palestinian state can only emerge from direct negotiations in which terrorism is rejected and Israel’s right to exist is recognized. Anything less is not peacemaking — it is appeasement.
Appeasement has a long and tragic history. It emboldens aggressors, abandons the innocent, and leaves democracies less secure. The UN vote on Palestinian statehood is not merely a symbolic gesture. It is a decision that could reshape the region for decades and undermine America’s fight against terrorism worldwide.
The United States cannot stand idly by. It must take a clear stand against rewarding violence. The cause of peace —and the security of America, Israel, and the free world — depends on it.
Sarah N. Stern is Founder and President of the Endowment for Middle East Truth, (EMET).