Huckabee says Muslim countries should give up land to create Palestinian state

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee seemed to reject the idea of American support for a two-state solution, suggesting this week that Muslim countries in the Middle East should surrender land to create an independent Palestinian state.

“Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that are controlled by Israel,” he told the BBC Tuesday. “So maybe, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say, ’We’d like to host it.’”

The two-state solution refers to an independent Palestinian state maintaining control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with its capital in East Jerusalem. The plan has received broad international support over the past few decades, including from some Americans. Many others in Israel and the U.S. say the idea won’t work.

In his remarks Tuesday, Mr. Huckabee didn’t say where exactly he would envision a Palestinian state existing outside of Israel and didn’t confirm if the U.S. would support such a plan.

U.S. and Israeli leaders have criticized Middle Eastern nations for refusing to accept Palestinian refugees, particularly after Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror raid. Egypt, in particular, has rejected the idea of accepting Palestinians over national security concerns.

Mr. Huckabee’s comments precede a meeting with French and Saudi Arabian diplomats at the United Nations later this month, when the leaders are expected to discuss a roadmap to Palestinian statehood.

The ambassador said any discussion of Palestinian statehood during the war in Gaza is unrealistic.

“It’s also something that is completely wrongheaded for European states to try to impose in the middle of a war,” Mr. Huckabee said.

Mr. Huckabee is a longtime supporter of Israel and has even pushed for total Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories. Indeed, the ambassador has signaled his support for Israel’s ultranationalist wing by advocating for a greater Israel, which would see the country occupying land beyond its current borders.

Israel has refused to enter negotiations with Palestinian leaders where statehood is a precondition.