by Amichai Stein, Alex Winston
US ambassador to Israel says European recognition of Palestinian state 'emboldened' Hamas while Arab nations call for its disarmament.
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As rumors gathered pace on Monday night of a possible Israel-Hamas deal to see the release of 10 Israeli hostages, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee strongly endorsed US President Donald Trump’s declaration that hostages will only be freed when Hamas is “confronted and destroyed,” while sharply criticizing European leaders for providing what he called “cover” to the terror organization.
Speaking in an exclusive sit-down with The Jerusalem Post, Huckabee described Trump’s position as “spot on and as concise and firm as it could possibly be,” emphasizing that the president’s view becomes his own as a representative of the administration.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” the president posted on his Truth Social media platform on Monday. “The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be. Remember, I was the one who negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!).”
The ambassador painted a grim picture of the hostages’ condition, referencing recently released videos showing emaciated captives.
“The last video that we saw was just gut-wrenching to see. Not only the emaciated condition of the hostage, but being forced to dig his own grave,” Huckabee said, adding that after 22 months in captivity, “it’s a long, long time.”
Huckabee blasts European leaders for recognizing Palestinian state
Huckabee, however, reserved his harshest criticism for European leaders, whom he accused of undermining negotiations by threatening unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, which, in essence, rewards Hamas for October 7.“When you have all these European nations saying, ‘Israel’s not going to have a ceasefire, we’re going to go ahead and unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,’ what do you think that did with Hamas? It emboldened them. It empowered them. And that’s when negotiations were over right then,” Huckabee told the Post.
The ambassador also noted the distinct contrast in recent months between European and Arab positions, praising the Arab League for unanimously calling on Hamas to “completely disarm and let all the hostages go at once” during the same week European leaders were pressuring Israel and announcing declarations to recognize a Palestinian state.
While acknowledging pressure from various parties, including Qatar’s recent re-engagement in Cairo negotiations, Huckabee expressed skepticism about Hamas’s willingness to compromise.
“Hamas is not a nation-state. They’re a terror organization,” he said. “Any expectation that they’re going to behave like civilized people other than savages is quite optimistic.”
When asked about the role Egypt and Qatar have played in negotiations, the ambassador was forthcoming.
“I think there’s been a lot more pressure than maybe people realize. I’m not sure why Qatar hasn’t been more involved, although they would probably claim to have been very involved. They just went to Cairo to re-engage in negotiations,” he said.
“Egypt has been very engaged. Egypt has been, I think, very instrumental in moving things as much as anyone can.”
And it was to Qatari and Egyptian mediators that Hamas turned to Monday, reportedly agreeing to the latest Gaza hostage-ceasefire proposal, a source familiar with the details told the Post on Monday.
The proposal would see the release of 10 living Israeli hostages in return for a 60-day ceasefire, and the release of 150 Palestinian terrorists serving life sentences.
Huckabee admitted he would be “thrilled to death” if Hamas agreed to release hostages and disarm, but emphasized the organization’s continued torture of captives since October 7.
Huckabee acknowledged that while it was Hamas who was refusing to agree to a deal, he was effusive simply on the fact that protests can take place in the Jewish state.
“We respect that people in a free country can express themselves,” he said, referring to Sunday’s protests. “The rest of the world ought to see that, whether they agree with the protesters or not, and recognize that, in Israel, you have a right to protest, and nobody comes to your home and shoots you for having protested the government.
“There’s something to be said for that. How many places in this region of the world could you be that adamantly opposed to your own government and live to see a sunrise tomorrow? That’s what I think people are missing.”
The full interview with Ambassador Huckabee will be published in Friday’s Jerusalem Post.
Amichai Stein, Alex Winston
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864600
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