
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the plans of the United Kingdom, France and Canada to recognize a Palestinian state "irrelevant" and "counterproductive".
"It's annoying for some, irrelevant. It doesn't mean anything," Rubio said in an interview with Fox News Radio, about the recognition of the Palestinian state.
"First of all, none of these countries has the ability to create a Palestinian state. There can be no Palestinian state if Israel does not accept. Secondly, they can't even tell you where this Palestinian state is. They can't tell you who will govern it. And I think, thirdly, that it is counterproductive," Rubio said.
The top US diplomat argued that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and encourage it to reject a ceasefire in Gaza.
Rubio claimed that the measure is aimed at appeasing the domestic bases of world leaders.
"Some of these countries have large electorates now that are putting pressure on them domestically to align themselves on this side, despite the geopolitical consequences," he concluded.