To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
The US ambassador to Israel ripped France’s efforts to advocate for and recognize a Palestinian state.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee called France’s initiative as ‘revolting’ in light of Israel continuing to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
‘When I heard that the French were trying to spearhead this effort to get a meeting together at the United Nations, the purpose of which supposedly is to recognize a Palestinian state,’ Huckabee told Fox News from Jerusalem on Sunday.
‘First of all, it’s incredibly inappropriate in the midst of a war that Israel is dealing with, to go out and present something that I think increasingly Israelis are steadfast against.’
The ambassador added that October 7, 2023 – when Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel that triggered a new phase of the Israel-Palestinian conflict – ‘changed a lot of things’.
‘If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I’ve got a suggestion for them: carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state,’ Huckabee proposed.
‘They’re welcome to do that. But they’re not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation.’
Huckabee added that he found it ‘revolting that they think they have the right to do such a thing’.
‘I hope they will reconsider but the US will not participate,’ he said.
‘It simply will not be a part of such a ruse.’
Huckabee responded days after French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said that recognizing a Palestinian state with certain conditions is ‘not only a moral duty but a political necessity’.
France is co-hosting the United Nations conference with Saudi Arabia from June 17 to 20, which is aimed at establishing a framework for a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel.
The US has opposed Palestinian statehood unless it includes talks with Israel.
US President Donald Trump shocked the world in February when he announced plans to ‘take over the Gaza Strip’ and make it ‘the Riviera of the Middle East’.
During a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that Palestinians should reside elsewhere and seemed to imply that Egypt and Jordan would welcome them.
But multiple nations opposed the plan, including Saudi Arabia, whose foreign ministry stated that their support for an independent Palestinian state was ‘firm and unwavering’.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.