Rubio: France’s recognition of Palestine scuttled Gaza truce talks

Talks with Hamas “fell apart on the day Macron made the unilateral decision that he’s going to recognize the Palestinian state,” Rubio said in an interview this week with Eternal Word Television Network, a Catholic TV broadcaster, News.Az reports citing Politico.

The United Kingdom and Canada followed France’s lead shortly afterwards, prompting criticism by the U.S. and Israel. 

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.