US ambassador to Israel says he does not think Palestinian state is US policy goal
Washington's ambassador to Israel said he did not think an independent Palestinian state remains a US foreign policy goal, prompting the State Department to say he spoke for himself while the White House referred to past comments from President Donald Trump expressing doubts about a two-state solution.
"I don't think so," US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said in an interview with Bloomberg News published on Tuesday, when asked if a Palestinian state remains a goal of US policy.
Asked about Huckabee's comments, the White House referred to remarks earlier this year by Trump when he proposed a US takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing."
The White House also referred to remarks by Trump from last year before he won the 2024 election when he said: "I'm not sure a two-state solution anymore is going to work."
.
Asked whether Huckabee's remarks represented a change in US policy, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on Tuesday, saying policy-making was a matter for Trump and the White House.
"I'm not going to explain them or really comment on them at all. I think he certainly speaks for himself," Bruce told reporters.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, is a staunch pro-Israel conservative. "Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there's no room for it," Huckabee was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. Those probably won't happen "in our lifetime," he said.
Trump, in his first term, was relatively tepid in his approach to a two-state solution, a longtime pillar of US Middle East policy. Trump has given little sign of where he stands on the issue in his second term.
Huckabee suggested a piece of land could be carved out of a Muslim country rather than asking Israel to make room. "Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?" Huckabee said, using the biblical name the Israeli government favors for the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where some 3 million Palestinians live.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, has been a vocal supporter of Israel throughout his political career and a longtime defender of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Trump has pursued strongly pro-Israel policies as president and his choice of Huckabee as ambassador signaled that they would continue.
The United States has for decades backed a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians that would create a state for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.
US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while internally displacing nearly Gaza's entire population and causing a hunger crisis. The assault has also triggered accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
16 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
UK defence ministry 'currently' training Israeli army personnel
The UK is "currently" involved in training members of the Israeli army on British soil, according to Ministry of Defence officials. In response to a question from a Labour MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces admitted the training was ongoing despite government concerns over Israel's assault on Gaza. "As part of routine defence engagement with Israel, the UK is currently training a limited number of Israeli Defence Forces personnel on UK-based training courses," Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said on Wednesday. The UK has been largely supportive of Israel during its war on Gaza, which began in October 2023. This is despite allegations of genocide and war crimes committed by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian civilians. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as an act of 'genocide'. In recent months the government has become more critical in its rhetoric towards its erstwhile ally, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer pronouncing Israel's aid blockade on Gaza 'intolerable". Israeli military officials say there are no restrictions on bombing Gaza homes Read More » Britain's foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir would be banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the country frozen. Nevertheless, the government has faced criticism over its continuing provision of military assistance to the country. More than 300 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff sent a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month, raising concerns about potential UK "complicity" in Israel's assault on the enclave. "In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity," the letter said. "In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark." It said the UK government's continued weapons exports to Israel had contributed to "the erosion of global norms", and cited a visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, "despite concerns about violations of international law". Israel's war on Gaza started after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people. Israel responded by pummelling the Gaza Strip and invading it. As well as the high death toll in the besieged territory, the Palestinian population there is facing "imminent famine", according to the United Nations.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Syria says Israeli raid captured civilians, not Hamas fighters
Syria on Thursday said the people detained by Israeli forces during an overnight raid in a southern Syrian town were civilians, rejecting Israel's claims that they were members of Hamas. 'The detainees are civilians, they're not fighters,' a Syrian Interior Ministry representative told The National. About 100 Israeli soldiers in 10 vehicles stormed the town of Beit Jinn, 50 kilometres south-west of Damascus, broadcaster Syria TV reported. The Israeli troops killed one person during the raid, the channel added. The Israeli military said its operation in Beit Jinn was 'based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks' and led to the arrest of 'several Hamas terrorists' who were allegedly plotting 'multiple terror attacks' against Israel and its military. It said the detainees were transferred to Israel for questioning. The detainees were not identified and it was not immediately possible to independently verify whether they were affiliated with the Palestinian militant group. Hamas has yet to comment. The raid comes as Israel has stepped up operations in southern Syria following weeks of relative calm. Israel launched waves of air strikes across Syria after rebel groups toppled the Bashar Al Assad regime in early December, destroying large parts of the Syrian army's weapons stockpile and seizing territory in the south. Israel has expressed distrust towards Syria's new authorities, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda commander-turned-statesman, who has pledged to govern the fractured country inclusively and unify all of Syria's armed groups under a single command structure. Mr Al Shara's government has adopted a pragmatic approach towards Israel, with the President revealing during a visit to France last month that his country was engaged in indirect talks with the Israelis. But tensions flared again in early June after projectiles were fired from southern Syria into Israeli territory. Israel retaliated with air strikes on June 8 – the first in nearly month –which it said killed a Hamas member on the outskirts of Beit Jinn.
Arabian Post
an hour ago
- Arabian Post
US-China deal offers relief, not resolution, for global investors
The newly announced trade agreement between the United States and China offers temporary relief from economic tensions, but it does not resolve the deep strategic rift between the world's two largest economies. For investors, I believe, this is a short-term fix within a long-term rivalry, and portfolios must be positioned accordingly. President Donald Trump's statement that a deal is 'done' follows two days of talks in London. The agreement grants the US access to China's rare earth supplies—crucial for technologies such as electric vehicles, AI hardware, and clean energy infrastructure—and allows Chinese students to resume academic programs in American universities. ADVERTISEMENT These are valuable tactical steps, but they don't alter the fundamental dynamics of the relationship. Despite the optics, this is not a breakthrough. It is a limited détente that restores parts of the status quo that existed before tensions escalated in April. Core barriers remain in place, tariffs are still elevated, and export restrictions have not been meaningfully eased. Washington continues to block the transfer of advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Chinese firms. Beijing, in turn, retains its controls on critical mineral exports and has gained no concessions on auto trade or technology access. What's emerged is a narrow deal that skirts the real issues: national security-driven economic policy, supply chain sovereignty, and long-term technological supremacy. Neither country has deviated from its strategic course. The US is forging ahead with reshoring initiatives, stricter investment screening, and targeted industrial subsidies. China is accelerating domestic substitution, bolstering financial insulation, and pushing regional integration through its Belt and Road initiative and the expansion of the digital yuan. ADVERTISEMENT Two distinct economic systems are taking shape. One revolves around the US and its allies, the other around China and its partners. This deal doesn't halt that divergence—it simply slows the pace of public confrontation. Investors must be alert to what this means in practice. First, resist the temptation to interpret diplomatic progress as economic resolution. While this agreement may ease some bilateral friction, it leaves the overarching trajectory of decoupling untouched. Investors should not assume that sectors sensitive to geopolitical risk—especially technology, semiconductors, and energy—are any less exposed than they were a month ago. Second, increase geographical diversification. Relying heavily on one region or trade bloc is increasingly risky in a world where policy decisions are being driven by strategic alignment as much as by economic rationale. Exposure to multiple markets, not just across developed and emerging economies, but across different regulatory and geopolitical frameworks, is now a necessity, not a luxury. Third, seek companies that are actively building multi-country supply chains. Firms expanding into Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Eastern Europe are preparing for the next phase of trade fragmentation. Investors should prioritise businesses demonstrating adaptability and resilience over those optimised purely for cost efficiency. Fourth, identify sectors set to benefit from government-supported self-reliance efforts. These include domestic manufacturing, clean energy, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. Both the US and China are deploying substantial public capital into these areas, and investment opportunities will follow. Fifth, be cautious around industries reliant on predictable global rules. The WTO framework that governed decades of expansion in global trade is being steadily eroded. Where once investors could count on relatively open and rules-based flows of goods and services, they must now contend with shifting export controls, sanctions, and sudden regulatory interventions. Sixth, monitor the development of parallel financial systems. The coming divide may be less about products and more about money itself. Competing digital currencies, payment infrastructure, and capital controls are likely to feature more prominently. This financial bifurcation could have serious implications for cross-border investment flows, corporate funding, and monetary policy transmission. Investors should also be prepared for policy reversals. One of the defining characteristics of this era is that agreements are made with one hand and suspended with the other. Executive discretion in trade, tech, and security matters has expanded. Deals can be signed, then shelved, with minimal warning. Stability is no longer the default setting. This doesn't mean abandoning international investment. On the contrary, it means rethinking how to do it. The old model of betting on ever-deepening global integration is gone. What comes next is a world of selective engagement; one where investors must evaluate not only business models and earnings forecasts, but also geopolitical alignment and supply chain security. We're living through a reordering of the global economy. This agreement, modest as it is, fits into a broader pattern: occasional truces, punctuated by strategic divergence. Investors who adapt their approach now—diversifying intelligently, backing resilient enterprises, and anticipating future decoupling—will be in a stronger position to weather the volatility and capitalise on emerging opportunities. The US-China rivalry is not a story of one-off negotiations. It is a structural transformation with far-reaching consequences. This deal changes the tone, not the substance. For long-term investors, the challenge is to move beyond short-term noise and position for the future we are actually heading towards: one of competing economic blocs, disrupted trade flows, and heightened sensitivity to national interest. Nigel Green is deVere CEO and Founder Also published on Medium. Notice an issue? Arabian Post strives to deliver the most accurate and reliable information to its readers. If you believe you have identified an error or inconsistency in this article, please don't hesitate to contact our editorial team at editor[at]thearabianpost[dot]com. We are committed to promptly addressing any concerns and ensuring the highest level of journalistic integrity.
