In a controversial statement Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee declared that the United States no longer wholeheartedly supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He added that if such a state were to be created, it might be located elsewhere in the region—not in the West Bank. “There’s no place for it unless something major changes,” Huckabee told Bloomberg in an interview from Jerusalem. “Those kinds of changes are unlikely to happen in our lifetime.”
Does It Have to Be in the West Bank?
When asked whether Palestinian statehood remains an official U.S. policy objective, Huckabee replied: “I don’t think so.” He further suggested that if a Palestinian state were ever to be realized, it could be created by reallocating land from a different Muslim-majority country, rather than carving out territory from Israel. “Does it have to be in the West Bank?” he asked rhetorically.
Huckabee Defends U.S.-Israel Ties
Last month, Ambassador Huckabee held a press conference unveiling a new U.S. humanitarian aid plan for Gaza. At the time, he emphasized President Trump’s commitment to the initiative: “The President made clear that humanitarian assistance for Gaza is one of the urgent priorities.” Asked about reports of tension between Washington and Jerusalem, Huckabee dismissed them: “There’s no disagreement, no sense of conflict, and nothing dividing us. The President has made that clear.”
