US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is calling for "Muslim countries" to provide land for any future Palestinian state, which the New York Times reports would mark a notable shift in US policy.
- "Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that are controlled by Israel," Huckabee said in a BBC interview. "So maybe, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say we'd like to host it, we'd like to create it."
Huckabee described the two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza existing alongside Israel—widely backed by much of the international community—as merely "an aspirational goal." He separately told Bloomberg that the US is no longer actively seeking the creation of an independent Palestinian state, comments that diverge from longstanding US policy. State Department rep Tammy Bruce emphasized that Huckabee "speaks for himself" and that the president determines American policy in the region.
A United Nations conference this month, organized by French and Saudi diplomats, aims to map out steps toward a Palestinian state. However, Huckabee criticized the event as "ill-timed and inappropriate," arguing it would leave Israel "less secure." The BBC notes "some of his language echoes positions frequently taken by ultranationalist groups in Israel." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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