Mike Huckabee, the US.
ambassador to Israel, said Tuesday that under the current circumstances, the United States does not fully support the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Without significant changes in the local culture, there is no room for it,” Huckabee said in an interview with Bloomberg.
He added that such changes are unlikely to happen “in our lifetime.”
When asked if the creation of a Palestinian state is still a goal of U.S. policy, Huckabee replied, “I don’t think so.”
The ambassador suggested the possibility of creating a state for Palestinians outside the areas currently controlled by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria”” he asked, using the biblical term for the Judea-Samaria.
“Or could it be somewhere else? Do the Palestinians need a place of their own, or would it be in the areas already controlled by the Palestinian Authority””
The Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, was created as part of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians that has been stalled for years.
It controls parts of the Judea-Samaria, while others are under full Israeli control.
Israel seized the Judea-Samaria from Jordan in 1967 during the Six-Day War.
Huckabee stressed that it is not impossible to create a Palestinian state, but that it is a specific area that can be designated as the future state that complicates matters.
When asked by the interviewer if he was suggesting that such a state be created outside of the historic region of Palestine (which included present-day Israel, the Judea-Samaria and Gaza), such as in Saudi Arabia, Huckabee replied: “I am saying that all options should be on the table.”
Muslim countries could “give up” space, says ambassador
Huckabee compared the size of Israel, which is small, similar to the state of New Jersey, with the vast expanse of land controlled by Muslim countries, which, according to him, have 644 times more territory.
“When they say Israel needs to give up something, you ask yourself: why should Israel give up land, when Muslim countries have so much space and could give up some””, he asked.
He clarified that he was not suggesting that the Palestinian state should be in another country, but that the possibility could be considered.
“If the idea is that Israel keeps giving up more land, maybe that’s why they’re resisting,” he said.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce avoided commenting directly on Huckabee’s statements and said that foreign policy issues are the responsibility of the White House, not the State Department.
Who is Mike Huckabee?
At 69, Huckabee is an evangelical pastor and a strong supporter of Israel, especially among the evangelical Christian community.
He has said that Israel’s claim to the Judea-Samaria is stronger than the United States’ claim to Manhattan, and in 2018 he helped build a new housing complex in the Israeli settlement of Efrat.
Q: Is the two-state solution a goal of the State Department currently”
? Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025
TAMMY BRUCE: When it comes to the policy of the United States, that sits with President Donald Trump
Q: But the secretary of state is in charge of foreign policy
BRUCE: Secretary Rubio implements President? pic.twitter.com/sU8puD3Lhb
Criticism of the statements
The Peace Now organization, which advocates for a two-state solution, criticized Huckabee, accusing him of promoting “religious fantasies.” “He is not an ambassador, he is an evangelist who dreams of a biblical war in the Middle East to fulfill his religious visions,” the group said, referring to prophecies about the end of times.
They called on President Donald Trump to reject Huckabee’s statements, which they say go against the interests of the United States and Israel.
US Political Context
During his first term, President Trump gave mixed signals about his support for a two-state solution, saying he would accept any deal between Israelis and Palestinians.
In 2020, he presented a peace plan that he described as a “realistic” two-state solution, offering the Palestinians a state in about 70 percent of the Judea-Samaria, part of the Negev Desert, and economic aid.
The Palestinian Authority rejected the proposal.
Huckabee was also recently mentioned in reports that he had met with members of ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel’s coalition to prevent the fall of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
He denied these allegations, and the opposition, led by Yair Lapid, welcomed his response.
Published in 06/11/2025 03h42
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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