Huckabee: Support for Judea, Samaria expansion was reaction to European recognition of ‘Palestine’

Huckabee added that European recognition has had “a totally disastrous effect” on stability in Judea and Samaria and on efforts to resolve the situation in Gaza.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israel’s decision to approve construction in the contentious E1 settlement area was a reaction to recent European and Palestinian Authority moves to promote unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

His comments came in an interview with Al Arabiya English, where he stressed that such steps have worsened tensions rather than advancing peace.

“One of the reasons we’re seeing the more aggressive decision to move into some of these areas is because it’s in reaction to what the Europeans have done — in concert with the Palestinian Authority — pushing for a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,” Huckabee said.

He added that these actions have had “a totally disastrous effect” on stability in Judea and Samaria and on efforts to resolve the situation in Gaza.

The ambassador said the Trump administration has not formally taken a position on the E1 approval but noted that in its first year it shifted longstanding US policy by declaring that Israeli settlements in the Judea and Samaria do not violate international law.

European recognition efforts, Huckabee argued, have backfired. “I don’t know what the Europeans thought they were going to accomplish, but by their actions, they’re accomplishing something that I don’t think they wanted to do, and that is to essentially give a green light or encourage the Israelis to go ahead and take more pieces of Judea and Samaria, either by declaring sovereignty or annexation,” he said.

He warned that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state without Israel’s involvement undermines existing agreements. “Pushing for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state without the cooperation and participation of Israel is a violation of Oslo,” Huckabee said. “If there’s going to be this massive violation of the Oslo agreement, then I think people have to prepare for the consequences of that on both sides of the conflict.”