Rubio: ‘First of all, none of these countries has the ability to create a Palestinian state.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

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.”

According to Rubio, the timing of these recognitions threatens US diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

“If Hamas refuses to agree to a ceasefire, it guarantees a Palestinian state will be recognized by all these countries in September,” he warned. He added that Hamas now believes it is “winning the PR war,” which makes the group less inclined to compromise.

In an unusual acknowledgment, Rubio credited Qatar for assisting in negotiations and even pressuring Hamas.

“I think the moment of truth has to arrive, however, where there have to be consequences if Hamas continues to disagree,” he said.

He also rebuked international media coverage, particularly the BBC, for focusing on Israel’s actions while neglecting the plight of the hostages.

“Very little coverage paid to the hostages, the families,” he said. “You know what the cameras don’t capture? The suffering of 20 people living in tunnels right now, taken hostage by Hamas for almost, for a long time. No one’s covering that. No one’s talking about that.”

The Trump administration echoed Rubio’s criticism. On his Truth Social account, President Donald Trump wrote: “The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!”

Later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump views the recognition of Palestine as a concession to terrorism.

“He feels as though that’s rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and to the release of all of the hostages,” she said.

“The President wants to see all of the hostages released. He cares deeply about this. He has met with many of the former hostages, many of the families of those who have loved ones who are still being held hostage in Gaza,” Leavitt added. “It is absolutely devastating what these poor people have been through.”

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Two NSC appointments and the deputy to Special Envoy to the Middle East in charge of Lebanese affairs were recently dismissed from their positions.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Several pro-Israel officials were recently dismissed from their positions in the Trump administration in a move that concerns Jerusalem.

Two were in senior positions in the National Security Council, having been appointed by Mike Waltz, the recently ousted national security adviser who now serves as the American ambassador to the United Nations.

Merav Ceren, an Israeli-born national and economic security expert, was named as the director for Israel and Iran at the National Security Council (NSC) in April.

Before her promotion, Ceren served as the deputy policy director for national security and science in a U.S. Senate Committee. She noted on her resume that she previously served in a negotiating role for Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories and Palestinian Authority officials.

Middle East and North Africa senior director Eric Trager, a Jewish expert on Egypt and the Egyptian branch of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, was brought on board soon after Trump’s inauguration. He took the place of Brett McGurk, who had been heavily involved in the Israel-Hamas hostage negotiations and the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

A third Waltz appointee was now reassigned in the State Department to a non-Middle East role.

Morgan Ortagus, considered one of the biggest Israel backers in the administration, was deputy to Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in charge of the Lebanon portfolio. A convert to Judaism, she was an important member of the team that negotiated the terms of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, credited with pushing through a tough stance in Beirut against Hezbollah’s future freedom of action.

American sources told Lebanon’s MTV media outlet that her dismissal “stem[s] from her working relationships within the State Department” and not her actions regarding Israel’s northern neighbor.

Ceren’s and Trager’s firings were not necessarily connected to their Middle East views. The two NSC staffers were cut along with many dozens of officials in the advisory body in a downsizing move that had been signaled by a Trump administration as part of its targeting tens of thousands of government jobs in a well-publicized money-saving effort.

All three moves were reportedly made by Waltz’s successor as NSA, Secretary of State Marc Rubio, an outspoken supporter of the Jewish state.

Based on Israeli sources, Ynet reported that the dismissals were “part of Trump’s ongoing attempt to weaken the National Security Council and consolidate control of U.S. foreign policy in his own hands.”

However, the outlet also cited “senior officials” who said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “deeply concerned” that the moves reflected a “shift in U.S. policy toward Israel.”

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