U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee last week lampooned the French for considering recognizing a Palestinian state.
“If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I have a suggestion for them — carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state,” he told Fox News.
“They are welcome to do that, but they are not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation. And I find it revolting that they think they have the right to do such a thing,” he added.
Listen:
.. on France’s initiative to reward Hamas with a Palestinian State:
“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… pic.twitter.com/yV8KHPbayl
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 1, 2025
Huckabee also slammed the French for even considering such a thing after the Oct. 7th terror attack and amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
“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,” he said. “Oct. 7 changed a lot of things.”
Huckabee’s comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that recognizing a Palestinian state is “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity,” according to The Times of Israel.
The remarks likewise came weeks ahead of a French- and Saudi Arabian-hosted conference in New York City centered on talking about and planning for a potential sovereign Palestinian state.
‘We need to move towards a recognition (of a Palestinian state)’ says Emmanuel Macron.
The French president says he hopes to chair a conference to reach ‘mutual recognition’ of both Israel and a Palestinian state some time in June. pic.twitter.com/2xT3loAzpo
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 10, 2025
Despite Huckabee’s animus toward the prospect of a Palestinian state, a prominent Israeli diplomat told the Middle East Eye that Macron “is serious [about recognizing one] and has the backing of most of the European Union and Saudi Arabia.”
Continuing his remarks to Fox News, Huckabee dismissed reports of there being tension between the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“I don’t think pro-Israel Americans need to be concerned that there’s some rift between the United States and Israel,” he said. “Are there sometimes differences of opinion on the next steps in the war in Gaza, getting the hostages home, or maybe to avoid an all-out war with Iran? Of course, that’s natural.”
“But as far as the relationship between Israel and the U.S., that is not in any way at risk, nor is it in any way splintered or fractured. It’s solid, it has to be. We don’t have a choice. It’s critically important that the United States maintains its partnership—and I use that word very deliberately—it’s not a friendship, it’s not an alliance, it’s a partnership, which means we are yoked together in our intelligence sharing, military — so many ways in which our nations are linked inseparably.”
Huckabee also addressed the Trump administration’s ongoing talks with Iran, a country which he described as “one of the, if not the greatest, threats to world peace.”
“The Iranians have said Israel is the ‘Little Satan,’ but America is the ‘Great Satan,’” he noted. “They’ve always treated Israel as the appetizer and the United States as the entrée. It’s just important when people tell you over and over for 46 years they plan to kill you, you might want to start taking them seriously.”
President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are giving Iran every opportunity at diplomacy, but it’s only a matter of time before Iran will have to face the consequences. pic.twitter.com/ImRHrTNVH7
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) May 29, 2025
He also stressed that, no matter what happens and what Iran claims, the terror-funding nation will not find itself with a nuclear weapon.
“I find it hard to believe the Iranians, after all these years of pushing towards a nuclear device that is weaponized, would suddenly come to their senses and say we’ve changed,” he said. “We don’t want that anymore, but let’s hope they do. But if they don’t, the president has been incredibly clear that Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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