The Republican former governor of Arkansas mentioned to the ABC’s 7.30 that he had discussed the matter with US President Donald Trump and officials at the US State Department.
“There’s an enormous level of disappointment, and some disgust,” he said.
“You might have heard Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio’s interview over the weekend, where he was explicit that this decision has effectively stalled any constructive negotiations moving forward, and it’s just extremely bad timing for this decision to unfold.”
During the weekend, Rubio suggested that talks with Hamas “collapsed on the day (French President Emmanuel Macron decided unilaterally to recognize the Palestinian state” and later referred to these commitments as “meaningless”.
When asked about Trump’s personal reaction, Huckabee described the decision as “disappointing and frustrating,” emphasizing frustration due to the lack of communication with the United States, Israel’s closest partner.
In a conversation with the Times of Israel yesterday, Huckabee accused allies of supporting Israel’s “sworn adversaries, those attempting to harm them, who are literally trying to kill them.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, announcing his government’s decision to recognize Palestine, stated that a two-state solution is “humanity’s best chance to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to end the conflict, suffering, and starvation in Gaza”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said “there is a risk there will be no Palestine left to recognise” if the world didn’t work towards the solution.
“This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination,” Yousef said in a statement.
“We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia’s example.”
Albanese rejected Hamas’ praise and said his decision to recognise Palestine’s statehood was not a reward for the terrorist group, reiterating that a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel would not involve Hamas.
“We need to isolate Hamas, but we do need to find a way forward. There’s 147 countries that have already recognised Palestine.
“A range of countries in the West, like-minded countries â the United Kingdom, Germany, Malta, Italy are making statements â and some of those countries like the United Kingdom, France and Canada have made it clear that they want to see a path forward of a two-state solution.”
“They will talk about a Palestinian dream, and we will continue to build a Jewish reality,” far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
“This reality is what will permanently bury the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise.”
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which militants abducted 251 people and killed about 1200 people, mostly civilians.
Israel’s air and ground offensive has displaced most of the people in Gaza, destroyed vast areas, pushed the territory toward famine and, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, killed more than 61,400 Palestinians.
