U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that recent moves by European leaders to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood have undermined sensitive ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, making peace even harder to achieve.
Huckabee, a longtime opponent of one-sided recognition, said European governments such as France and Britain had sent the wrong signal at a critical moment. “If they believe that unilaterally calling for a Palestinian state immediately brings them closer, the sad truth is it’s taking them further away,” Huckabee told the Associated Press.
According to Huckabee, by rushing to recognize Palestinian statehood while Hamas still holds hostages and continues its attacks, Europe has emboldened the terror group to dig in its heels rather than compromise. The ambassador said the “noise” created by these announcements was having a “counterproductive effect,” reducing the chances for progress at the negotiating table.
The ambassador’s warning reflects the Trump administration’s position that Hamas must be defeated militarily before any lasting peace can take root. President Trump reiterated this stance earlier in the week, declaring: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!”
Huckabee’s comments underscore a broader difference in approach between Washington and some European allies. While Europe has tried to pressure Israel into concessions, the Trump administration has backed Israel’s right to defend itself and rejected shortcuts that would reward Hamas’s October 7 massacre with international legitimacy.
Israel has already rejected symbolic recognition efforts, saying they send exactly the wrong message: that violence can win Palestinians a state. Huckabee’s remarks reinforce that view, arguing that only a strong stance against Hamas will ultimately secure both Israel’s safety and the return of hostages.
Though negotiations have continued with Arab mediators, Huckabee said Hamas cannot be trusted until it makes binding commitments. He suggested that recent claims of progress may simply be Hamas “stringing this along,” a tactic it has used before.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
4 Responses
I believe that unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood by European leaders could indeed complicate the peace process, as it may embolden groups like Hamas and hinder meaningful negotiations between the geometry dash meltdown parties involved.
@shunnwas is posting a deceptive link to an inappropriate website!
There is no such thing as a “binding commitment ” if made by a Muslim.
Islam instructs its adherence to employ devious tactics to overcome Kafirs.
Hamas is only one arm of Islam. Yes of course it must be defeated.
But even the best of US need to wake up and shed our stupid western blindness, and identify ISLAM in its entirety as the source of the threat.
It directly sabotaged peace talks harmed the hostages and even if they feel the terrorists deserve a state but to do so on the heels of oct 7th and in the midst of trying to eradicate hamas clearly rewards hamas for their actions and is therefore so ill advised yet macron after Bibi lambasted him in a letter tells Netanyahu it’s time to get serious
This loser is also a clown