Dan Illouz: Canada should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, not a Palestinian state
The appropriate response to such barbarism is not to reward it, but to ensure it never happens again. The path to a different future starts not with fantasy, but with truth. And the truth is that there is only one state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea — the State of Israel. It's time for the world to affirm that fact by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, otherwise known as the West Bank.
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This is not annexation or displacement. It is the formal application of Israeli law to the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and the recognition that this land belongs to the Jewish people by historical, moral and legal right.
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Judea and Samaria are not foreign territories. They are the cradle of Jewish civilization — Hebron, Shiloh and, yes, Jerusalem. These are not just symbols. They are tangible evidence of a deep-rooted, continuous indigenous presence.
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In 1920, the League of Nations recognized the right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in this territory through the Mandate for Palestine. The modern State of Israel is the natural inheritor of that mandate. No other sovereign power has taken its place.
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For decades, Israel has governed parts of these areas under a temporary military framework — not because it lacked legitimacy, but because of a lack of political clarity. Applying sovereignty would end that ambiguity. It would normalize governance, solidify borders and protect all residents under a unified legal system — one grounded in the principles of Israeli democracy and the rule of law.
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October 7 shattered illusions. It showed that Hamas does not want compromise, it wants carnage. It also made clear that the Palestinian Authority, which is mired in corruption and glorifies terror, offers no credible alternative.
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To recognize a Palestinian state now would be to embolden both. It would say that the world has learned nothing, that violence is tolerable if packaged as diplomacy and that democratic countries can be pressured into moral surrender.
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Recognizing Israeli sovereignty, by contrast, would send the opposite message: that terror has consequences, not rewards; that borders are not determined by rockets and massacres, but by law, history and moral clarity; and that the world still knows how to distinguish right from wrong.
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This is not an argument against Palestinian dignity or hope. It is an argument against a Palestinian leadership that has destroyed both. Hamas has turned Gaza into a graveyard, and the Palestinian Authority has failed its own people.
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The Palestinian people will not be helped by more foreign resolutions or symbolic gestures. They will be helped by stability, security and truth. Only when the fantasy of destroying Israel is finally abandoned — and when terror no longer brings results — can something new begin to grow.
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That is what sovereignty offers: not an end to the conflict, but an end to the illusion — a firm, reality-based foundation for moving forward.
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Canada was among the first countries in the world to recognize the State of Israel. It was an act of courage, clarity and of leadership.
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That same clarity is needed now. Canada should not follow the crowd toward a dangerous fiction. It should lead by recognizing what history has always known and what law has always affirmed: that Judea and Samaria are part of the Jewish homeland, and that the State of Israel is the only legitimate sovereign in the Land of Israel.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Netanyahu to convene Israeli security meeting on taking control of more territory in Gaza war
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CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Netanyahu to seek approval for expanded Gaza military operations as 29 Palestinians are killed
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Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
The Paris office of Israeli airline El Al is vandalized with graffiti
Published Aug 07, 2025 • 1 minute read This photograph shows the entrance of the El Al Israel Airlines offices (C) after it was sprayed with red paint in Paris on Aug. 7, 2025. Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP via Getty Images PARIS — Israeli airline El Al said Thursday that its Paris office was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti, calling the act a 'deeply disturbing' incident as tensions between France and Israel run high. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The graffiti was discovered Thursday morning. El Al said the offices were unoccupied at the time of the incident and no one was harmed. Photos shared on social media showed red spray paint across the glass doors and walls, including the phrase 'El Al genocide airline.' The airline said it was handling the matter with the 'utmost gravity' and working 'in close coordination' with authorities in France and Israel.' El Al added it 'unequivocally condemns all forms of violence, particularly those driven by hatred,' and said its planes 'proudly' display the Israeli flag. Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev condemned the act and blamed the policies of French President Emmanuel Macron. 'Today it's El Al, tomorrow it's Air France,' she wrote on social media. 'When President Macron makes announcements that give gifts to Hamas, this is the result.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The incident comes amid diplomatic friction following Macron's pledge last month to recognize a Palestinian state — a move welcomed by some European allies but strongly opposed by Israel. Israel's Foreign Ministry also condemned what it called an antisemitic attack and urged the French government to ensure the safety of El Al staff and offices and to bring the perpetrators to justice. In May, several Jewish sites across Paris were defaced with green paint, including the Shoah Memorial, three synagogues and a Jewish restaurant. France is home to Western Europe's largest Jewish population, with an estimated 500,000 Jews — approximately 1% of the national population. In recent years, antisemitic incidents have surged, with a sharp increase reported in 2023 after the Oct.7 Hamas attacks in Israel. These include physical assaults, threats, vandalism, and harassment, prompting alarm among Jewish communities and leaders. Columnists Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls World Canada
