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A top US official stationed in Israel has said that the United States is no longer pursuing the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the United States has historically supported a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Since the 1993 Oslo Accords, successive US administrations (Democratic and Republican) have publicly endorsed the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel. President Joe Biden has reaffirmed this position multiple times, stating in 2021, “We still need a two-state solution. It is the only answer.” President Donald Trump took an open stance, telling reporters earlier this year, “I am looking at two-state, and one-state….I can live with either one. I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two. But honestly, if Bibi, and if the Palestinians, if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I’m happy with the one they like the best.”
What’s going on now: In a notable development, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that the United States is no longer pursuing the creation of an independent Palestinian state. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Huckabee was asked if a Palestinian state remained a US policy goal; he responded saying, “I don’t think so.” He elaborated that any future Palestinian state would need to be established on land currently controlled by Israel, suggesting instead that “a Muslim country” could host it.
Ambassador Huckabee said, “Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that is controlled by Israel. 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.”
Huckabee further argued that the existing Palestinian political and cultural environment is fundamentally incompatible with peaceful coexistence. He also rejected the internationally recognized terms of “occupation” and “settlements,” referring instead to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria” and calling Israeli settlements “communities” and “neighborhoods.”
Reactions to Huckabee’s remarks were divided. Critics condemned the comments as the vocalization of a de facto US policy of undermining Palestinian statehood. Israeli officials, particularly from the far-right, praised Huckabee’s statements, as they align with some of their own calls to annex the West Bank and reject Palestinian sovereignty.
