Germany will not support recognition of a Palestinian state at September’s United Nations General Assembly, Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said in July that Canada would recognize such a state, Merz said bluntly, “The position of the federal government is clear, as far as the possible recognition of the state of Palestine is concerned. Canada knows this. We will not join this initiative. We don’t see the requirements met.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently called a two-state solution an “illusion.” Speaking on a YouTube show titled “Warriors’ Hour,” he said, “I think keeping the two-state solution on the agenda actually hinders the kinds of agreements that could otherwise be achieved. It means keeping an illusion alive, one that, under current circumstances, reduces or outright prevents cooperation.” He also suggested that if the percentage of Muslim voters in the country increases compared to that of Jewish voters, the government will become pro-Palestinian and pro-Islamic policy, and “the Jews will have to pack up and leave.”

Unlike Merz and Orban, leftist British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have publicly called for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The arguments against recognizing a Palestinian state are many and varied. The criteria of statehood are reflected in the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, which require an effective and independent government, which does not exist, as the Palestinian Authority was created under the Oslo Accords as an interim solution, and is not effective, as it has spent millions of dollars inciting terror against Israel with  its “pay-to-slay program.”

End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships

Additionally, the Palestinians have claimed sovereignty over all of the territories which Israel won in the 1967 war, including the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

As Israeli International Affairs Advisor Caroline Glick has stated bluntly, “Gaza was a sovereign Palestinian state from August 16, 2005-Oct.7, 2023. After October 7, support for a ‘two-state solution’ is nothing less than support for the annihilation of the Jewish state, the genocide of the Jews of Israel and the subjugation of Diaspora Jewry.”

Gaza was a sovereign Palestinian state from August 16, 2005-Oct.7, 2023.
After October 7, support for a “two-state solution” is nothing less than support for the annihilation of the Jewish state, the genocide of the Jews of Israel and the subjugation of Diaspora Jewry. https://t.co/PFG4tTDSx1

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) September 6, 2024

The Gates Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the United States, has cut ties with Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm with close ties to nonprofits for Democratic and leftist causes.

The decision to step back from work with Arabella Advisors has alarmed some leftist groups that rely on the Gates Foundation for substantial financial support, according to The New York Times. The foundation said in a statement that the move to distance itself from the leftist-linked consulting firm is “a business decision that reflects our regular strategic assessments of partnerships and operating models.”

The Gates Foundation sent a memo to some employees in June who oversee the charity’s grant programs, stating that it would move toward more direct relationships with grant recipients rather than working through Arabella.

“Teams are increasingly working directly with programmatic partners — organizations that are deeply embedded in the communities we serve and closely aligned with our mission,” the note said, according to the Times. “As we look ahead, this is a chance to build deeper, more durable relationships with those partners — and to reinforce the kind of legacy we want to leave behind.”

End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships

The funding at stake is immense for Arabella groups. The Gates Foundation has directed nearly half a billion dollars toward nonprofits in the Arabella network over the past 16 years.

Arabella Advisers reportedly controls hundreds of activist groups that support leftist causes. The consulting firm administers a wide network of so-called “dark money” groups while drawing support from left-wing financiers such as George Soros and, until recently, the Gates Foundation.

Conservatives have often attacked the consulting group for its ties to political organizations and its support for leftist causes. Nonprofits in its network have also received blowback. In 2023, the conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Trust filed a complaint with the IRS alleging that four Arabella-connected groups “diverted substantial portions of their income and assets” to benefit Arabella’s founder, Eric Kessler.

The Gates Foundation’s split from Arabella comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on leftist financial networks such as ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s main fundraising platform.