ANKARA

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed recent decisions by Western nations to recognize Palestine, calling them “irrelevant.”

“None of these countries have the ability to create a Palestinian state,” Rubio told Fox Radio in an interview on Thursday.

“There can be no Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to it,” Rubio noted.

“They can’t even tell you where this Palestinian state is. They can’t tell you who will govern it. And I think number three, it’s counterproductive,” he said.

Underlining that Hamas is still holding 20 people hostage and holding the bodies of over 50 people, Rubio accused the Western countries in question of “rallying” to Hamas’ side.

“At the end of the day, the Hamas side is the Palestinian statehood side. So you are creating this reward,” he said.

Proponents of the move have said it is not a reward, but rather a prerequisite for peace in the region.

Rubio also claimed that recent decisions are “hurting” ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

He said that in many cases, recent recognition decisions are really about domestic politics, with some countries facing internal pressure to take a side regardless of geopolitical consequences.

“They’re actually hurting the cause, they’re not helping, because their statement isn’t going to change anything other than it encourages and rewards Hamas, who now have every reason in the world not to agree to (a) ceasefire and not to release these hostages,” Rubio added.

Rubio urged all these countries to unite in pressuring Hamas to “immediately” release the 20 living hostages.

- Western countries’ moves to recognize Palestine

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in late June that he had decided to recognize the state of Palestine and would make an official declaration to that effect at the UN General Assembly in September.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Malta’s Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Christopher Cutajar also said their countries had decided to recognize Palestine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that the UK would recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September if Israel fails to meet certain conditions.

The decisions by the states are expected to be made official during the UN General Assembly in September.