US envoy says France can ‘carve' Palestinian state out of Riviera
JERUSALEM: The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has lashed out at France's advocacy for recognition of a Palestinian state, saying that if it supported such an outcome it could 'carve out a piece of the French Riviera' and create one.
France is co-chairing with Saudi Arabia this month an international conference at the United Nations aimed at resurrecting the idea of a two-state solution, which the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes.
Paris has also said it could recognise a Palestinian state itself this year.
In an interview with Fox News published on Saturday, Huckabee called the initiative at the UN 'incredibly inappropriate when Israel is in the midst of a war'.
'October 7 changed a lot of things,' he said, referring to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
'If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I've got a suggestion for them -- carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state. They are welcome to do that, but they are not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation.'
Israel on Friday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of undertaking a 'crusade against the Jewish state' after he called for European countries to harden their stance on Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve.
The day before, Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, with Defence Minister Israel Katz later vowing to build a 'Jewish Israeli state' in the occupied territory.
The settlements are regularly condemned by the United Nations as illegal under international law, and are seen as a major obstacle to the two-state solution.
But Huckabee, a staunch advocate for Israel, has said there is 'no such thing as an occupation' when it comes to the Palestinian territories.
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Malaysia Sun
an hour ago
- Malaysia Sun
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Almost simultaneously, an envoy dispatched by US President Donald Trump toured Cambodia and Vietnam and met with representatives from all ASEAN member states in an effort to repair relations damaged by Trump's tariffs and to reaffirm the commitment to a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific'. Meanwhile, the US president visited three Gulf states, making new deals and publicly denouncing the longstanding American policy of mentorship and interference in regional affairs. By the end of May, French President Emmanuel Macron also entered the scene, visiting Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam to remind Southeast Asian counterparts that the EU still exists and remains a potential alternative to both Beijing and Washington. It is no coincidence that the China-ASEAN-GCC summit was convened in Malaysia. As the current chair of ASEAN, Malaysia plays a pivotal role, and its prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, is a vocal proponent of regional integration and innovative partnerships. Ahead of the trilateral summit, ASEAN members gathered in Kuala Lumpur to chart their future course. On this occasion, the ten member states adopted ASEAN's first 20-year vision - ASEAN 2045 - articulating the ambition to position Southeast Asia as a global growth engine aligned with other dynamic actors. Among them, China and the GCC member states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - stand out prominently. Together, they represent a quarter of the world's population and contribute nearly the same proportion to global GDP. Their economic linkages are already well-established: China is the top trading partner for both ASEAN and the GCC. ASEAN has surpassed the EU as China's foremost economic partner, and Beijing imports over one-third of its crude oil from GCC states. The summit in Kuala Lumpur brought together the world's second- and fifth-largest economies - China and ASEAN - along with key suppliers of energy and raw materials. 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While sectors such as trade, energy, infrastructure, and advanced technology offer natural areas of convergence, geopolitical competition and cultural divergence present serious obstacles. Moreover, there is a pronounced asymmetry among the actors: Smaller ASEAN economies may lack the institutional and financial capacity to engage fully in this trilateral format. Nonetheless, the China-ASEAN-GCC platform represents a novel configuration within an emerging multipolar world order. It reflects the accelerating momentum of South-South cooperation, which integrates multipolarity with multilateralism and economic globalization. Trump's tariff storm served as a wake-up call for many US partners across ASEAN and the Gulf, underscoring the imperative of diversifying partnerships and embracing pragmatic alternatives. Closer ties with Beijing do not necessarily indicate a wholesale shift from one hegemon to another. 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Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
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At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
After Madrid penalty furore, football's lawmakers rule for retakes
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