People demand a two-state solution, but not only will Israel reject it, the very idea is flawed. A Palestinian state would likely become a terror state controlled by Iran. Why would we reward the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 Jews, with statehood? It sends a message to terrorists that they can murder and be rewarded afterward.

But let’s set that aside for a moment. If we were to accept a Palestinian state, I pose a question no one seems able to answer: who would govern it? When asked, only three possible answers emerge: Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or Islamic Jihad.

We all know Hamas cannot govern Gaza after this war. I’ll go further and say it should be eradicated from the face of the earth. As a terror group, Hamas is not an option. Then there’s Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a terrorist organization based in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, aiming to destroy Israel through unrelenting armed struggle. Its ultimate goal is to establish an Islamic state within the 1948 borders.

This leaves the Palestinian Authority (PA). I often hear claims that the PA is moderate and should govern a Palestinian state. But is it truly moderate? Let’s review its history.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), founded in 1964 to “liberate Palestine” through armed struggle, sought to destroy Israel and erase our homeland. Yasser Arafat took over in 1969, amplifying its deadly agenda. The PLO’s 1968 Palestinian National Charter called for Israel’s elimination, rejecting any Jewish national claim. In 1974, its “Ten Point Program” declared that any “liberated” land would serve as a stepping stone—not for peace or a two-state solution, but to wipe us out.

In 1993, Arafat’s letter to Yitzhak Rabin for the Oslo Accords promised to recognize Israel and renounce terror—empty words. PLO factions, like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), continued killing, and Arafat fueled the Second Intifada (2000–2005), which killed over 1,000 Israelis through suicide bombings, proving the PLO never abandoned its terror agenda.

Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Arafat in 2004, still chairs the PLO—maintaining the same rejectionism, albeit more quietly. The Arab League, UN, and many nations call the PLO the Palestinians’ “legitimate representative,” but its actions—incitement and terror ties—show it is no friend of Israel.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), established in 1994 to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza temporarily (Areas A and B, with Israel retaining Area C), was meant to be interim, leading to peace. No final deal ever materialized. Abbas has ruled without elections since 2005. Financially, the PA is a mess—propped up by the EU, U.S., and Arab states, yet riddled with corruption.

Arafat siphoned off billions—$3 billion by some estimates—while Abbas’s circle pockets millions, leaving Palestinians impoverished while funding terror.

The clearest evidence that the PA is not moderate is its “Pay for Slay” policy, or Martyr’s Fund. Since the 1960s, the PA has paid terrorists and their families—$350 million annually, according to Israeli reports. Kill an Israeli, get a salary—higher if you’re imprisoned longer or die as a “martyr.”

By 2024, the PA has paid out billions, incentivizing attacks like the Second Intifada. Abbas boasts about it, declaring, “We’ll keep paying until Jerusalem is ours”—not peace, not moderation, but war on our homeland. This is no ally; the PA glorifies killers in schools, on TV, and in textbooks—incitement thoroughly documented by Israel.

The PLO’s charter still calls for our destruction, and the PA’s actions—corruption, Pay for Slay, incitement—reinforce this. It is not moderate; it is rejectionist, tied to terror, not peace.

I’ve shown that no viable governing option exists—neither Hamas, nor Islamic Jihad, nor the PA. So, I ask again: who would lead this state? Ultimately, this question is secondary. A Palestinian state, likely an Iranian-controlled terror hub, is a nonstarter when Israel rightfully prioritizes its survival after the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 Jews. Why would anyone expect Israel to reward such violence with statehood?