The Biden administration adheres to the “two states for two nations” plan and sees it as a central component in shaping the Middle East post operation Swords of Iron. It appears that key players in the Israeli political system currently understand the impracticality of establishing a Palestinian state, which could become a hub for terrorism.
However, under American pressure and with time, some may agree to a division of land and the establishment of a Palestinian state. In the authors’ view, the establishment of a Palestinian state would pose an existential threat to Israel, as it could quickly become a platform for Iran and Hamas-led efforts to eliminate Israel.
In recent years, amid increased Iranian terrorist activity against Israel, various units that are spearheading Iranian terrorist operations against Israel have been exposed in various media outlets. These units are trusted with providing training, smuggling arms, financial assistance, and more to Tehran’s proxies, including various Palestinian terrorist organizations. If a Palestinian state were to arise, it would serve as a prime target for these units to conduct advanced operations, including arms smuggling and planning and promoting attacks aimed at weakening Israel and seeking its destruction.
These groups include the Palestine Branch of the Quds Force (Branch 2500), led by Saeed Izadi, who is responsible for supporting Palestinian terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad; Unit 840 in the Quds Force led by Asghar Baqeri, responsible for planning and establishing terror infrastructures outside Iran and conducting terror operations against Israel (also targeting the West Bank); Unit 4000, the Special Operations Branch of the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization, led by Jihad Ghafari, which in March 2024 led an advanced smuggling operation originating from Iran into the West Bank that was intercepted by the IDF and Shin Bet security agency; Unit 190 – the smuggling unit of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force; and Unit 340 – the technological support unit of the Quds Force, providing knowledge and technological equipment for Iran’s proxy network in the region and focusing on technological projects related to combat capabilities.
In addition, Hezbollah’s Unit 133 in the village of Ghajar, responsible for recruiting Palestinian agents (including Israeli Arabs), complements these units. Iranian diplomatic missions in the region provide cover for Quds Force operations. Notably, Iranian Quds Force personnel could operate within a Palestinian state, as its sovereign leaders would decide who serves as ambassador, just as in Iraq after Saddam’s regime fell. Israel would struggle to prevent Quds Force elements from operating there, given that Palestinian leadership would have authority over diplomatic personnel.
Recent surveys conducted by Dr. Khalil Shikaki, chairman of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, highlighted Hamas’s significant popularity among West Bank and Gaza residents, as evidenced by their support for the October 7 massacre. Consequently, Hamas could easily dominate a Palestinian state’s electoral system, leveraging its armed strength to suppress dissent. With Iranian backing, Hamas would more readily advance their shared vision of destroying Israel. Units such as the aforementioned Quds Force would bolster Hamas’s power in Gaza and assist it in carrying out further attacks against Israel, including missile strikes against strategic installations and deep incursions.
Israel must undertake an intensive and comprehensive campaign against Iran and Hamas, coupled with an extensive educational effort in the Western world to stress that a Palestinian state would serve as a significant tool for Iran-led efforts to isolate Israel. The pressures from the Biden administration and the “normalization” proposed with Saudi Arabia do not justify the enormous risk posed by the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of Israel.
Hamas’s substantial popularity in the West Bank and its extensive cooperation with Iran underscore an undeniable threat to Israel’s existence. Israel must communicate clearly with Sunni Arab states in the region that an Iran-sponsored Hamas state in Gaza and the West Bank contradicts their interests, strengthens Iran’s position, and undermines the Arabs’ security. Israel should also fortify its border with Jordan to hinder Iran and its partners’ efforts to smuggle advanced weapons into Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel should wage a relentless war against Hamas and develop a sustained effort against its infrastructure, leadership, operational networks, economic assets, and intellectual framework in Gaza and the West Bank. As Hamas has indicated through various statements after the October 7 attacks, it intends to repeat such attacks as soon as conditions permit. Restricting the operations of Iran’s Palestinian proxies will not adequately address Israel’s national security. Israel’s updated national security doctrine must also confront the challenge posed by Iran through its proxy networks, including the Quds Force.
A Palestinian state in Gaza will nullify Israel’s previous achievements against Hamas. With Iran’s support, Hamas could gradually restore its capabilities and enhance its underground tunnel network and advanced missile arsenal. In the security dimension, Hamas’s existing subterranean tunnel network beneath the Philadelphi Corridor proves that Israel cannot afford to allow foreign powers to undermine its security.
Israel’s public diplomacy efforts must demonstrate to the Biden Administration and the international community that a Palestinian state would significantly facilitate Palestinian terrorism under Iranian auspices. Israel must provide detailed explanations about various units of the Quds Force and the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence organization operating in the West Bank, which assists Hamas in promoting the shared aspiration of Hamas and Iran to destroy Israel.
Source » i24news