Mike Huckabee, American ambassador in Israel, asks Palestinian state policy in question

The American ambassador in Israel has said that it must be “Muslim countries” to build a Palestinian state on their territory instead of in the areas that Much of the world recognizes Palestinian countries.

If the statements of ambassador Mike Huckabee are confirmed as representing the position of the US government, this would be a sharp shift of decades of US foreign policy on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs trivialized his comments.

“Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that is checked by Israel,” said Mr. Huckabee in a Interview recorded on video With the BBC. “So perhaps, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say we want to host it, we would like to create it.”

The United States have long supported a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would give the sovereignty of Palestinians in the by the Israeli West Bank and Gaza. That is the American policy since the United States helped the Oslo Accords in 1993Of which it was generally expected to lead to the state for the Palestinians, and for Israel, realization of the long goal of Land voor Vrede.

Said Mr. Huckabee in a separate one interview With Bloomberg News that it would be a “problem” if someone who wanted to explain precise areas to explain a future Palestinian state. Bloomberg quoted him as saying in off-camera comments: “I don’t think so” when he was asked if the Trump administration supported a two-state solution as a constant American policy.

“I know that many American administrations and other European countries have insisted on it. But the question is: where should that be?” He told the BBC. Both interviews were published on Tuesday, but it was not clear when they had taken place.

Asked about Mr Huckabee’s comments, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tammy Bruce, told reporters: “I think he will certainly speak for himself” and added: “If it concerns the American policy and certainly where the president is, I would recommend calling the White House.”

At least 146 of the 193 countries in the world, plus the holy chair, support the state for Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza.

Although none of the so-called group of 7 industrialized countries is currently recognizing a Palestinian state, France and Great Britain recently discussed Steps to do this.

Next week President Emmanuel Macron from France will jointly be a UN conference in New York with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to explore the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Before he became an ambassador this year, Mr. Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and Southern Baptist Minister, had said that “There really isn’t something like a Palestinian” and argued that the entire occupied West Bank belonged to Israel.

But last fall, Mr Huckabee said that he “would implement the president’s policy” while serving as the best American diplomat for Israel.

“I won’t make the policy,” he said in November.