Huckabee: Let Palestinians create country 'elsewhere'

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on tour in Jerusalem's Old City (WND photo)

JERUSALEM – The division of Jerusalem is "unimaginable" while a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the "wrong answer," former Arkansas governor and vice-presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee told WND.

"Israel is surrounded by nations in various states of war with the Jewish state. Because of the limited footprint of real estate they have, it's not practical for Israel to give up any land. The two-state solution is no solution, but will cause only problems," said Huckabee, who is completing a two-day fact-finding tour in Israel.

The former Republican presidential candidate said he cannot understand how Jerusalem could be divided.

"It's unimaginable. The city must remain under Jewish sovereignty," he said yesterday.

Huckabee suggested creating a Palestinian state elsewhere in the Middle East:

"There is only one place on earth where the Jewish people could have a homeland that is consistent with their roots, whereas the Palestinians can create their homeland in many other places in the Middle East, outside Israel," he said.

Huckabee told WND that Israel should "have the right" to do "whatever is necessary" to counter Iran's nuclear program.

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He said he believes Republican Sen. John McCain is the presidential candidate who best understands Israel's security needs.

"He knows that Israel must protect itself and he understands the scope of the Iranian nuclear threat," Huckabee said.

Huckabee told WND yesterday he has had no communication with McCain over the possibility of becoming the presumptive Republican nominee's running mate and does not consider himself a candidate.

The former governor blasted Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for his "policy of dialogue" in his approach to Iran and other world threats.

"I think discussions are fine if you're dealing with people you can trust," Huckabee said. "I am not sure what is accomplished if the idea is to just make nice with nothing to back it up."

On his two-day mission here, Huckabee visited the various quarters of Jerusalem's Old City, the Western Wall and underlying tunnels, and the rocket-battered town of Sderot.

He also visited Arab-majority neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem and expressed strong support for moving Jews into the areas. Much of the Arab communities were built illegally upon Jewish-owned land.

The Israeli government over the years has done little to stop rampant illegal Arab construction in northern and eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Hundreds of acres of the land in question are legally owned by the Jewish National Fund, or JNF, which purchases property in Israel for the stated purpose of Jewish settlement.

The demographics in eastern Jerusalem have major political implications, since it involves areas widely expected to be handed over to the Palestinian Authority as a result of Israeli-PA negotiations aimed at forming a Palestinian state.

Huckabee's tour was sponsored by the Jerusalem Reclamation Project or American Friends of Ateret Kohanim, which promotes the Jewish presence in Jerusalem, as well as by private U.S. Jewish donors.

To interview Aaron Klein, contact M. Sliwa Public Relations by e-mail, or call 973-272-2861 or 212-202-4453.