Is a Palestinian state the solution?

An Insider’s Perspective from the Heart of the Tragedy

Many supporters of the Palestinian cause, especially in the West, show great sympathy for the Palestinian people. But most of them don’t fully understand the complex reality Palestinians face under divided and corrupt leadership. They don’t realize that Palestinians themselves suffer from internal oppression, lack of justice, and repression by those who are supposed to represent them. Palestine is not just a land under occupation as they claim — it’s also a battlefield for internal conflicts among factions lacking any genuine national vision.

Anyone living through the Palestinian reality knows there are clans, family and political divisions, and power struggles where the strong dominate the weak and free voices are silenced. In Gaza, Hamas rules with an iron fist. In the West Bank, things aren’t much better under the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Both act like “mafias,” crushing anyone who dares say “no.”

Since the tragic events of Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian people — especially in Gaza — have entered an unprecedented phase of destruction, displacement, and starvation. Entire communities are being uprooted, living without shelter, food, water, or basic necessities. The war continues, taking lives, destroying infrastructure, and deepening wounds.

But it’s not just Gaza; life in the West Bank is tragic too, though in a different way. It’s ruled by a corrupt authority focused on narrow personal interests, detached from the people’s daily suffering. Meanwhile, armed groups in Gaza impose harsh realities on residents, making major resistance decisions without considering the devastating human cost borne by ordinary citizens.

A System Feeding on People’s Blood... Support Turned into Privilege

Even international aid, whether from Western or Arab countries, has shifted from a means of helping Palestinians to a tool enriching certain officials in the Palestinian Authority. Funds intended for infrastructure, education, and healthcare have largely been diverted into personal bank accounts, turning the families of some leaders into millionaires living in luxury abroad, while ordinary people suffer without electricity, water, or hope.

This aid comes from taxpayers in Western countries, supposedly to support “peace” and “building institutions,” but ends up strengthening a ruling elite disconnected from people’s needs and unaccountable. In many Arab countries, aid is often conditional on political loyalty rather than genuinely supporting the Palestinian struggle. Some regimes use money to buy influence in Palestinian politics, backing one faction over another for their regional interests—not to serve the people.

To keep this corrupt system in power, frustrated youth are pushed into attacks against Israel, which are glorified in media as heroic but often serve as distractions from internal failures and rampant corruption. These sacrifices keep the ruling class in luxury hotels and prestigious universities, far from any danger.

A Collapsed Social Reality: Building a State in a Fragmented Society?

This isn’t a just or normal society. We don’t live under the rule of law but under networks of personal, familial, and factional ties that decide who lives with dignity and who dies waiting for medical care. Without connections or belonging to a powerful family, you might suffer or die without treatment. Justice is distributed based on power and affiliation, not need.

Many people resort to any means — even violence or allegiance to a faction — to protect themselves or secure a livelihood. This isn’t just individual corruption; it’s systemic failure and the collapse of the very idea of citizenship.

A State Under These Conditions? A Disaster Waiting to Happen

When the idea of a “Palestinian state” is raised, I worry: what kind of state are we talking about? One ruled by those above the law? One run by the same mindsets that currently govern in the name of “legitimacy” or “resistance?"

Even now, when a Palestinian creates a successful business or builds a meaningful institution, the Palestinian Authority often doesn’t offer support or protection. Instead, it tries to take over — using political influence, coercion, or bureaucratic pressure to bring it under their control. Success is treated as a threat if it doesn’t serve their interests. Rather than encouraging innovation and empowering capable people, they suppress anything that operates outside their inner circle of loyalty.

Imagine what would happen if these same people were running a fully sovereign state. Would they protect successful citizens, or crush them for daring to rise without permission? Would the state become a platform for national development, or a bigger tool of personal and factional control?

Establishing a state under these circumstances wouldn’t be liberation, it would institutionalize oppression, corruption, and discrimination. It would be an official version of what we already endure, but with stronger legal powers and international funds used to boost influence rather than serve the people.

Open Class Divisions — No Shame About It

If you belong to a powerful family, you can break laws without consequences. If you’re an ordinary citizen, you have no right to complain because you simply don’t have “protection.”

This blatant classism fuels a silent explosion inside people’s hearts. Children grow up believing dignity isn’t earned through merit but through loyalty, connections, or silence.

How can we build a just state in the midst of such moral and social decay?

Are We Ready for a State? Or Will We Just Reproduce Injustice?

A state isn’t just about borders, flags, and anthems. It requires:

• A culture of respect for the law

• Independent institutions that protect rights

• Equal dignity and opportunity for all citizens

Sadly, we’re nowhere near that political or social awareness. Before asking “When will we have a state?” we should ask, “Do we have a society capable of building one?”

The Solution? Not Empty Slogans but Deep Transformation

What we need isn’t declaring a state — it’s a revolution in consciousness:

• Breaking the culture of favoritism

• Laws that don’t favor ministers’ sons over the poor

• Leadership that truly represents people, not controls them

• Institutions that protect individuals from family and factional pressure—not the other way around

Otherwise, the Palestinian state as currently envisioned isn’t a dream but a nightmare that could legalize injustice instead of ending it.

Annexation? If It Means More Justice

That’s why I’m surprised when powerful countries, such as France or Saudi Arabia, talk about recognizing a Palestinian state. What state? One run by fighting factions and armed militias? This isn’t liberation; it’s a new failure.

A state under these forces won’t bring freedom or justice but more dictatorship, corruption, and oppression.

In this complex reality, I ask: What do Palestinians really want? Do they still hope for an independent state? If that dream comes true, who will rule it? Ramallah’s gangs or Gaza’s militant groups?

Or is the only option living under corrupt, repressive authorities—or being annexed into Israel, which, despite what many see as a prolonged and oppressive occupation, offers a democratic model for its Jewish citizens and, to some extent, for some Arabs?

This idea of annexation is highly controversial, but from my perspective, it might be the better option if it guarantees Palestinians equal civil and political rights. Yes, it might end the traditional dream of an independent state, but what good is a state that doesn’t protect its people or respect their freedoms?

Freedom of Faith and Dignity: Why Do I Only See Them Outside Our Rule?

As a Palestinian, I want to live under a system that guarantees dignity, freedom of religion, and legal rights. That’s far better than being under a Palestinian authority that neither represents me nor provides safety or justice.

I support Israeli annexation if it means equality under law and living in a democratic system that respects everyone’s rights, regardless of religion or background.

Handing over our fate to corrupt, authoritarian rulers just for the sake of the “state” slogan doesn’t convince me or serve our children’s future.

I say this not out of pessimism but from reality felt by many Palestinians today. I feel such a “state” wouldn’t be for me. It would belong only to those willing to submit or play politics, not to those who seek freedom and dignity.

And speaking personally, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I see true freedom as inseparable from human dignity and the right to worship and live peacefully. Under current Palestinian rule, freedoms — including religious freedom — are often restricted. People face persecution simply for being different or for not conforming to dominant religious or political lines.

Paradoxically, under Israeli rule, despite all my criticisms, I enjoy greater freedom to practice my faith, pray, and celebrate my beliefs without fear of persecution or accusations of betrayal.

This doesn’t mean I accept all of Israel’s policies, but I cannot ignore the reality: freedom — even religious freedom — is not guaranteed under a “Palestinian state.”

I must also speak honestly about certain Palestinian pastors, like Munther Isaac, who frequently and passionately speak out against Israel, accusing it of racism and blaming it entirely for the decline of the Christian presence in the Holy Land. But why is there so much silence when it comes to the oppression and intimidation Christians face under Palestinian authorities or within our own communities? Why don’t they address the political pressure on Christian leaders to conform, or the harassment ordinary believers experience simply for practicing their faith freely or thinking differently? Why is our suffering only acknowledged when it can be blamed on Israel, while internal injustices remain ignored?

I find it deeply painful that some Christians feel compelled to leave the country because of widespread corruption and the lack of adequate healthcare and education—both fundamental to a decent life. This corruption and the absence of real opportunities force many to seek a better future elsewhere. These Christians, who should be part of building and protecting their community, are instead driven away by the lack of justice and deteriorating conditions, leaving the entire society in crisis.

As a Palestinian Christian, I am pained that our own religious leaders often present only a partial truth to the world. If we truly desire justice, we must courageously speak out against all forms of oppression—including those within our own society.

Conclusion: True Freedom and Justice Found Only in Jesus

At the heart of this struggle, beyond politics and power, is a deeper longing for true freedom — the kind that only Jesus Christ can give. As a Palestinian Christian, I know that real peace and justice come not from any human government or political plan but from the Prince of Peace Himself.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbors, to seek justice, to care for the oppressed, and to bring hope to the broken. His Kingdom is not of this world’s corrupt systems but of truth, mercy, and righteousness. Until our hearts and societies reflect His love, no earthly state or flag will bring lasting freedom.

I pray for a Palestine where the light of Christ shines bright; where dignity is restored to every man, woman, and child; where freedom of faith is honored; and where justice flows like a mighty river.

This is my hope: that through Jesus, who conquered sin and death, we will one day live in a land where oppression is replaced by compassion, fear is replaced by courage, and division is replaced by unity.

Until then, I stand firm not on slogans or empty promises, but on the rock of Christ—the true foundation of peace and justice for all peoples.