The decisions to recognize a Palestinian state come amid mounting international condemnation of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing the “suffering and starvation” in Gaza as “unspeakable and indefensible.”
Rubio said in the Thursday interview that those decisions showed Hamas that the militant group was being rewarded for its actions. “If I’m Hamas, I’d basically conclude: ‘Let’s not do a ceasefire, we can be rewarded, we can claim it as a victory,’ ” Rubio said.
The U.S. pulled out of the ceasefire talks on the same day that France said it would recognize Palestinian statehood, with Washington’s special envoy Steve Witkoff saying Hamas was not acting in good faith.
