US Ambassador to the occupation entity, Mike Huckabee, said the United States no longer fully supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting instead that it could be formed elsewhere in the region.

In an interview with Bloomberg in occupied al-Quds, Huckabee stated, “Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there’s no room for it,” adding that such changes are unlikely “in our lifetime.”

When asked whether a Palestinian state remains a US policy objective, Huckabee responded, “I don’t think so.” He further suggested that a future Palestinian state could be established within a Muslim-majority country, asking rhetorically, “Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?”, a term used by the Israeli regime for the West Bank, where around 3 million Palestinians live under occupation.

An evangelical Christian, Huckabee has been a vocal supporter of the Israeli occupation regime throughout his political career and a longtime defender of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A global stance?

This also comes amid a surge of support for an independent Palestinian state. Despite an abundance of statements calling for the recognition of Palestinian statehood, the planned peace conference in Saudi Arabia, initially expected to catalyze the recognition of a Palestinian state, has scaled back its ambition.

Instead of issuing a joint declaration, the event will now aim to agree on incremental steps toward recognition, The Guardian reported, citing diplomatic sources.

Scheduled for 17–20 June, the conference, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, was initially envisioned as a historic moment wherein a bloc of countries, potentially including France and the UK, would formally recognize Palestine.

However, diplomats now say such a move will be deferred in favour of practical measures to lay the groundwork for future recognition.

Huckabee repeats Trump’s hardline stance on Iran

On the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, Huckabee reaffirmed US President Donald Trump’s position that the Islamic Republic must not be allowed to enrich uranium.

“The president has made clear that there’s a limit to his patience with Iran,” he said.

“He doesn’t want there to be carnage. But he also has been even more clear that Iran’s not going to have a nuclear weapon, they aren’t going to enrich and they’re going to have total dismantlement.” When asked whether military action was on the table if negotiations failed, Huckabee responded with, “Nothing’s off the table.”

Read more: Iran reaffirms uranium stance ahead of 6th round of indirect US talks