The U.S. Cannot Let Allied Fecklessness Stand
By Seth Cropsey
October 01, 2025
In the Middle East, the Trump administration risks snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Despite intense coordination between the U.S. and Israel, Washington has allowed the U.K., Canada, and Australia to recognize a Palestinian state, an action in contravention to their own interests, common sense, and allied interests. The Trump administration should actively impose costs on those allies who pursue such counterproductive policies, demonstrating the risks of legalistic pedantry and diplomatic sophistry. Allies cannot take steps that further a common adversary’s cause without meaningful consequences.
Recognizing a Palestinian state is a step far more profound than a simply legal nicety. It
means the European powers will, over time, commit cash and institutional support to
bringing a Palestinian state into reality. The NGO-grievance complex, primed since
October 7 to undermine the Jewish state and attack U.S. policy, will throw its weight behind
these efforts. The reality of recognition thus compels consideration of what a Palestinian
state might actually look like.
Recognizing a Palestinian state is a step far more profound than a simply legal nicety. It creates a regional structure that will become impossible to manage by committing support to the Palestinian Authority, a decrepit, overwhelmingly incompetent, corrupt organization that Hamas will co-opt. Alternatively, it creates a playground for Gulf Arab competition just off the Eastern Mediterranean coast, creating long-term commercial and economic risks. Regardless of the precise outcome, a Palestinian state primes the Middle East for further confrontation and disruption. This stands alongside the moral repugnance of rewarding the Palestinian Islamist movement for the violence it perpetrated two years ago. Such a step has profound implications for all those who oppose the United States: it demonstrates to China and Russia that the U.S. is incapable of ensuring its allies see moral and strategic sense.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/10/01/the_us_cannot_let_allied_fecklessness_stand_1138153.html
