Latest news with #MikeHuckabee
Metro
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Metro
US suggests Palestinian state should be in the French Riviera
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The US ambassador to Israel ripped France's efforts to advocate for and recognize a Palestinian state. Ambassador Mike Huckabee ripped France's initiative 'revolting' in light of Israel continuing to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 'When I heard that the French were trying to spearhead this effort to get a meeting together at the United Nations, the purpose of which supposedly is to recognize a Palestinian state,' Huckabee told Fox News on Sunday. 'First of all, it's incredibly inappropriate in the midst of a war that Israel is dealing with, to go out and present something that I think increasingly Israelis are steadfast against.' The ambassador added that October 7, 2023 – when Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel that triggered a new phase of the Israel-Palestinian conflict – 'changed a lot of things'. '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,' Huckabee proposed. More Trending 'They're welcome to do that. But they're not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation.' Huckabee added that he found it 'revolting that they think they have the right to do such a thing'. 'I hope they will reconsider but the US will not participate,' he said. 'It simply will not be a part of such a ruse.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Map shows where northern lights will be visible tonight in the US MORE: Gaza doctor who lost nine children in Israeli attack dies from injuries MORE: Colorado man who 'threw Molotov cocktails hurting 12 pro-Israel marchers tried to buy gun'
The National
11 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Gazans accuse Israel of weaponising hunger in ploy to push people south
Gazans have accused Israel of engineering a humanitarian catastrophe with its new aid operations, saying supplies are being restricted to the south of the enclave in an effort to displace people from the north through starvation. The allegations by officials and Palestinian civilians come after authorities in Gaza said dozens of people were killed in recent days by Israeli gunfire near aid distribution points. The aid centres are being run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group backed by the US and Israel that started operating after Israel relaxed a blockade on the enclave. Three Palestinians were killed early on Monday near an aid centre west of Rafah in the south, medical sources told The National. The Israeli military did not issue any comment on the deaths reported on Monday but offered conflicting accounts of the shooting on Sunday. It initially said it did not fire at civilians "near or within" the food distribution site and that "reports to this effect are false". However, a military official said troops had fired warning shots to "prevent several suspects from approaching" the site, but that this was unrelated to the "false claims" against the army. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation into the shooting. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador in Israel, meanwhile, said reports of Israeli killings near the food bank were false as he claimed the GHF had distributed aid "without incident". Mr Huckabee said "misleading, exaggerated" reports were contributing to violence against Jews in the US. "It is Hamas that continues to terrorise and intimidate those who seek food aid," he said. The UN and global aid organisations have refused to work with the GHF, saying its operations are an affront to international humanitarian principles. Gazans say aid from the group is almost exclusively going to the south, leaving the north to starve. "This is not a logistical failure, it is a deliberate strategy," Ismail Al Thawabta, director of Gaza's media office, told The National. 'The occupation is starving people in northern Gaza, forcing them to flee south where hunger is also spreading and chaos is intensifying. This is part of a calculated plan to forcibly displace the population.' International aid groups have repeatedly called for access to all areas of Gaza, but Mr Al Thawabta said they have been ignored. The little aid other organisations can get into Gaza is seized by desperate civilians or armed groups that residents say are enabled by Israeli forces, Mr Al Thawabta said. Israel has claimed Hamas is seizing aid and described the GHF operations as a way of circumventing the militant group. But many Gazans in the north now face an impossible choice: leave their homes for an uncertain future in the south, or stay and face a slow, grinding descent into famine. 'The occupation is using hunger as a weapon. It's trying to kill us or force us to flee,' said Mohammed Abu Simaan, 32, from the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of northern Gaza. He refuses to leave despite the lack of supplies. 'They've made their intentions clear, this is about displacement," he said. "But I won't move. My family won't move. Gaza is our home and no matter how long it takes, food will reach us eventually.' He accused Israel of breaching international law by blocking aid from reaching northern Gaza and leaving residents to fend for themselves. 'They want us to suffer until we break. But we are not leaving. Not again," he said. Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN has warned the entire population faces famine. The enclave's farmland has been destroyed, with barely any arable land remaining. Israel imposed an aid blockade in March and only relaxed it in recent days. Supplies are now trickling in, but the UN has reported the looting of its lorries and warehouses. Humanitarian groups say the GHF operations force civilians to travel through dangerous areas to obtain food. Philippe Lazzarini, head of Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, said aid distribution 'has become a death trap'. He described the GHF centres as a 'humiliating system' that forced hungry Gazans to walk long distances to areas ravaged by Israeli bombardment. Younis Abu Shaer, 40, who is staying in Gaza's Jabalia displacement camp, told The National he initially resisted moving south in search of food when the Israeli army ordered a mass displacement three weeks ago. But in the end, the pressure became unbearable. 'After two weeks, we had no flour, no vegetables, no cash, nothing," he explained. "I had no choice. I packed our things and went south just to find food.' He arrived at a GHF distribution centre, but left empty-handed. A tip-off then led him to lorries carrying flour in the southern city of Khan Younis. 'We waited over seven hours and, even then, we had to fight through crowds to get just one sack of flour,' he said. 'I didn't want to go south, but hunger is merciless. It leaves you no choice.'
Al Arabiya
19 hours ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
US envoy to Israel says France can ‘carve' Palestinian state out of French Riviera
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 recognize 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 Defense 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.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
US envoy says France can ‘carve' Palestinian state out of Riviera
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (left) speaks with homeland security secretary Kristi Noem upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. (AP pic) 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'. 'Oct 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.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
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.
