Amb Huckabee: France & Britain have ‘aided, abetted, joined’ Israel’s sworn enemies with ‘Palestine’ recognition

Arab League vote calling on Hamas to disarm & leave is 'a sliver of hope', Huckabee says

Over the past weeks, France and the U.K. have been spearheading a diplomatic avalanche targeting Israel over its responsibility for the alleged famine in the Gaza Strip, with both countries vowing, or threatening, respectively, to recognize a “State of Palestine” later this year.

Among the lone voices defending Israel in the international arena has been U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee. In an interview with The Times of Israel this week, he reiterated his harsh criticism of the countries’ leaders.

“It’s perfectly acceptable to be in disagreement with the policies of any government, whether it’s the Brits or the French or whatever. I regularly disagree with some of those governments. But I wouldn’t turn my back on them when they’re under siege. You don’t do that to friends. You just don’t do that to your friends,” Huckabee emphasized.

The ambassador has been undiplomatically criticizing the French and British declarations on 𝕏, while President Donald Trump has dismissed them, saying that French President Emmanuel Macron’s declaration “doesn't carry weight.”

In his harshest statement to date, Huckabee continued: “You don’t join with and aid and abet their sworn adversaries, those who are trying to kill them, who literally are trying to kill them. You would pursue that through some diplomatic channel, with some circumspection.”

The former governor of Arkansas and Baptist minister has long been a supporter of Israel’s right to Judea and Samaria, and therefore, opposed a Palestinian state.

He added, “You don’t go and make some profound decision that you’re going to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state – which is in and of itself provocative, but even more so in light of the fact that Hamas is holding hostages and is celebrating these announcements.”

He also pointed to recent statements by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, “that those public declarations by the French and the Brits ended negotiations with Hamas. Just destroyed it… because they looked at it and said, ‘We’re winning. This is great. The result of October 7 is going to be a Palestinian state’.”

However, Huckabee also highlighted a reason for hope: “The very week that the French and the Brits were calling for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, the Arab League unanimously voted for two things: one, that Hamas must disarm, and two, let all the hostages go at once.”

“I thought, am I seeing what I’m seeing? That the people that we thought would be on the side of Israel have basically, for all practical purposes, taken Hamas’s side,” he wondered.

“And the people that one might think would be on the side of Hamas are actually recognizing that Israel is the attacked, the victims, and demanding that it’s Hamas that step down, step aside, and let the hostages go. There are a lot of things that are weird in this world right now, and that’s one of them.”