Rubio: ‘First of all, none of these countries has the ability to create a Palestinian state.’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply criticized Canada, France, and the United Kingdom for their recent decisions to recognize a Palestinian state, arguing the move undermines hostage negotiations and strengthens Hamas.
Speaking with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Rubio dismissed the recognitions as empty gestures. “They can’t even tell you where this Palestinian state is,” he said. “They can’t tell you who will govern it. It’s counterproductive.”
Rubio stressed that statehood cannot be imposed unilaterally. “First of all, none of these countries has the ability to create a Palestinian state. There can be no Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to it,” he said. “At the end of the day, the Hamas side is the Palestinian statehood side.”