Stephen Sweet

🚨A Palestinian State with Current Leaderships Will Lead to Catastrophe Calls for a Palestinian state have become louder in recent months, some genuine, others symbolic, and many driven by mounting international pressure. Yet, for those of us who’ve studied the Middle East closely, who have read the writings of jihadists and watched regimes collapse under the weight of corruption or fanaticism, the idea of establishing a Palestinian state under the current leaderships is not a pathway to peace, it is a recipe for catastrophe. Let’s speak frankly: both Palestinian leaderships: Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority (PLO/Fatah) in the West Bank, are corrupt, dysfunctional, and morally bankrupt. And let’s be clear: Hamas is not misunderstood. Their ideology is rooted in jihadism, no different from Al-Qaeda or ISIS. I’ve read the writings of Yusuf al-‘Uyairi and the letters of Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin, the same toxic worldview is embedded in every speech by Sinwar. A state run by such a group would not bring peace, it would bring terror to the region. The Palestinian Authority fares no better. What started as a hope for statehood has decayed into a kleptocratic regime, deeply unpopular among its own people. According to a 2024 poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, over 80% of Palestinians want President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. That’s not democracy, that’s a crisis of legitimacy. History gives us a clear warning. In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza. It handed over the land, the greenhouses, the infrastructure, and instead of building a new Singapore, Hamas built rocket launchers and terror cells. In Lebanon, Hezbollah hijacked the state’s institutions, leading to war, regional instability, and the complete collapse of governance. In Iraq, the collapse of the Baathist regime and weak leadership allowed ISIS to rise and carve out a state of terror. What makes anyone think a Palestinian state under current leaderships would be different? It wouldn’t. It would be another failed entity, one that constantly demands funds from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the West, while exporting radicalism, instability, and violence. I understand the desire for a two-state solution. I understand the politics. But I reject the idea that this should come before serious reform within Palestinian society. What is needed first is a leadership that teaches coexistence, not martyrdom. A leadership that tells its people: “You will not be free by killing Jews, but by building your own future.” A leadership that recognizes Israel’s Jewish identity, that fixes the school curricula, that stops glorifying violence. When (and only when) such leadership emerges, peace becomes possible. I believe the people of Israel, of Tel Aviv and Haifa and Jerusalem, will be the first to call for a Palestinian state when they see a real partner for peace on the other side. But for now, I say clearly: a Palestinian state under today’s leaders would be a disaster. And the Middle East cannot afford another disaster.

Dear Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), You’ve canceled the screening of the October 7 film because you claim not to have permission to use Hamas body cam footage, an absurd excuse. Here’s my proposal: I personally traveled to Israel and documented the horrors committed by Hamas terrorists in Be’eri, at the Supernova Music Festival, and in other locations. I grant you full permission to use my footage free of charge, so the world can see the true evil of Hamas’s radical ideology, an ideology that could one day target Canada as well. Instead of appreciating Israel for standing on the frontlines of humanity against these monsters, this is how you choose to respond? Shame on you.