EXCLUSIVE – The U.S. has decided not to attend a conference taking place next month in New York City, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, to advocate for the recognition of a Palestinian state. This was revealed by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in Jerusalem earlier this week.

“It’s highly inappropriate, given the ongoing conflict Israel is facing, to push forward with an agenda that many Israelis strongly oppose.

“The events of October 7 have altered perspectives significantly. If France is committed to establishing a Palestinian state, they could, for instance, designate part of the French Riviera for this purpose. They are free to do so, but they should not impose such pressures on a sovereign nation. It is appalling that they presume they have the right to pursue this course of action.

“But when diplomacy fails, the soldiers show up,” he said.

“I find it hard to believe the Iranians, after all these years of pushing towards a nuclear device that is weaponized, would suddenly come to their senses and say we’ve changed. We don’t want that anymore, but let’s hope they do. But if they don’t, the president has been incredibly clear that Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon.”

On Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, he emphasized that the suffering could end immediately—if Hamas chooses to act.

“All of us are hoping and praying that Hamas will finally give up all the hostages and release them, and then they will depart Gaza for good. If they do these two things, this is over,” he said. “It could have been over on Oct. 8, 2023; it should have been. What they did was unthinkable, horrific, heinous, uncivilized, savage behavior.”

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media at the end of an EU Summit in the Justus Lipsius building, the EU Council headquarters, on March 22, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium.  (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

He noted that President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that Hamas has no future in Gaza. “They can’t rule it, they can’t stay,” said Huckabee.

“Israel has been clear that they are willing to put them on airplanes and fly them out in exile, they have a way out, but they don’t have a way in. They have to go, and all hostages living and dead have to be returned,” he added.

Huckabee expressed hope that this would happen immediately.

Speaking to Fox News Digital on Thursday, he said of the hostages, “This pin that I wear on my lapel—one of the happiest days of my life will be when I can take this pin off and permanently put it away, never to wear it again, because that means all of the hostages have come home,” he said. 

(L-R) Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords on the South Lawn of the White House on September 15, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Witnessed by President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu signed a peace deal with the UAE and a declaration of intent to make peace with Bahrain.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.)

He also expressed confidence in the prospect of expanding the Abraham Accords, forged during Trump’s first term, which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

While not naming new countries considering joining, Huckabee said, “There are a number of nations that now realize that having enmity with Israel is meaningless,” he said. “It is a delicate path for some countries; they can’t go faster than their people are willing to go and accept … but there is a great atmosphere and possibility that we will see some dramatic changes and big additions to the Abraham Accords.”

Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.