US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee slammed France’s potential recognition of a Palestinian state, calling the move “revolting.”
“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 told Fox News.
“October 7 changed a lot of things,” said Huckabee, referring to the Hamas-led terror onslaught in 2023 that started the Gaza war. “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. They are welcome to do that, but they are not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation.”
The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, is a famed stretch of Mediterranean coastline in the southeastern part of France, similar to Gaza, which was ethnically cleansed of Jews in 2005, paving the way for Hamas’ rise to power.
“And I find it revolting that they think they have the right to do such a thing,” Huckabee added.
“I hope they will reconsider, but the U.S. will not participate. It simply will not be a part of such a ruse,” he added. During the Fox News interview, Huckabee seemed to hint that U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were not as close as previously thought.
“I don’t think pro-Israel Americans need to be concerned that there’s some rift between the United States and Israel,” Huckabee told the outlet. “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,” he said. According to Huckabee, it is “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.”
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the Israeli wartime blockade of Gaza, threatening sanctions against Israeli Jews.
“The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground,” Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
“And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position,” Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.
Macron added that recognizing a Palestinian state is “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.”
France is considering recognizing a Palestinian state ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting from June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “President Macron’s crusade against the Jewish state continues.”
“There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie,” the Foreign Ministry said, noting that roughly 900 trucks have entered Gaza since Israel lifted its embargo last week after 78 days. The Israeli statement also highlighted this week’s launch of operations by the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which aims to distribute aid to Gazans while preventing its diversion by Hamas.
“Instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state,” said the Foreign Ministry. “No doubt its national day will be October 7.”
