Hamas public executions as Starmer recognises Palestine

The appalling video of Hamas executing three suspected Israeli collaborators in public in Gaza shows how Keir Starmer's decision to recognise Palestine as a state is so fraught with paradoxes, contradictions and political risks. Of course the Palestinian people deserve their own nation with safe and respected borders and a proper future for their own unique sovereignty. But right now one of the key elements of a would-be state is still run by Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the UK. If Hamas continues to rule Gaza, despite being targeted and attacked by Israel ever since the slaughter of Israeli and other national citizens on October 7, 2023, there can be no consideration of a Palestinian state. So, the only sensible policy for all governments contemplating doing what Starmer and others have done is to wait until Hamas has been removed as the ruling body of Gaza. It makes no sense to recognise a Palestinian state now when Hamas is brutally executing people in public and refusing to hand over the remaining hostages. It's not just premature, it's nonsensical. The Palestinian people should be given hope for a better future but this will never come while Hamas controls them. Let the two-state model for Palestine and Israel to live alongside each other remain as the strategic goal. But recognising Palestine now is a gift to Hamas and will prolong the war between Hamas and Israel.