US blames Macron for collapsed Gaza peace talks
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said the Palestinian terror group was 'emboldened' by Emmanuel Macron's decision last month and it led to a breakdown in talks that hoped to finally yield an end to the 22-month war.
'Talks with Hamas fell apart on the day Macron made the unilateral decision that he's going to recognise the Palestinian state,' Mr Rubio said in an interview with the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network.
On July 24, France said it would recognise the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, becoming the first G7 country and member of the UN Security Council to do so.
Mr Rubio at the time said the US 'strongly rejects' the 'reckless' decision and called it a 'slap in the face' to the victims of Hamas's attack on Oct 7.
The same day, Israel withdrew its negotiations from the Doha talks after receiving Hamas's latest response to its ceasefire proposal, bringing to an end the longest round of negotiations since the war started in October 2023.
Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, also announced the return of US negotiators, saying Hamas 'clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'.
Following France's move, Sir Keir Starmer declared Britain would recognise Palestine in September unless Israel makes peace in Gaza, which Israel condemned as a 'reward for Hamas'.
Canada also pledged to recognise Palestinian statehood and several other Western countries indicating they were considering following suit. Most UN members already recognise the State of Palestine.
On Friday, Mr Rubio accused such countries of offering Hamas a chance to claim victory.
'And then you have other people come forward, other countries say, 'well, if there is not a ceasefire by September, we're going to recognise a Palestinian state.' If I'm Hamas, I'd basically conclude, 'let's not do a ceasefire, we can be rewarded, we can claim it as a victory,'' Mr Rubio said.
'So those messages, while largely symbolic in their minds, actually have made it harder to get peace and harder to achieve a deal with Hamas. They feel emboldened,' he added.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, said on Friday that the US has 'no plans' to recognise the Palestinian state. On his summer holiday to the UK, he also told Foreign Secretary David Lammy that the UK and US have 'disagreements' on Gaza.
It comes after Israel approved a plan on Thursday which will, in effect, lead to the full occupation of Gaza, sparking international condemnation, including from Sir Keir who said the expanded offensive would 'only bring more bloodshed'.
The decision has also provoked a bitter split with the army, which opposes the plan and has warned that it would stretch an already exhausted army, and endanger Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.
Mr Netanyahu dismissed the IDF's concerns after a heated 10-hour meeting on Friday and told troops to 'prepare' for the invasion of Gaza city.
Germany on Friday suspended all arms deliveries to Israel in an unexpectedly stern response to the takeover plan, bolstering Israel's growing isolation on the world stage over its conduct in the war-shattered Strip.
Britain on Saturday pledged £8.5 million in additional humanitarian aid for Gaza, which it said has the potential to reach thousands 'if Israel allows the UN and other agencies to operate at the scale needed'.
Calling on Israel to 'reverse' its decision to expand military operations, it also demanded more aid be allowed into the Strip as reports of widespread starvation grow.
'It is unacceptable that so much aid is waiting at the border – the UK is ready to provide more through our partners, and we demand that the Government of Israel allows more aid in safely and securely,' Jenny Chapman, the Minister for International Development, said.
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