Fred Fleitz, former Trump National Security Council chief of staff, told Newsmax that Hamas is being “rewarded” by weak foreign leaders.
Fleitz told "Carl Higbie: FRONTLINE" on Thursday that the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and now Canada, saying they will support a Palestinian state, is a political reward. “Consider these states are giving to the Palestinians something that it wasn't going to give them before the Hamas terrorist attacks. This is what Hamas wants. Hamas is being rewarded.”
The former top Trump administration staffer said the leaders of those nations are weak. “Why is it being rewarded? Because Hamas leaders realize that there are spineless Western leaders who cannot stand up to negative TV coverage of violence and people being killed in Gaza. They'll do anything to stop it.”
He said those leaders must know what they’re doing and the implications of supporting a Palestinian state. “And this is what they're doing. And this is showing to these terrorists, it's showing to Hamas, that resistance and terrorism pays. This is an outrageously dangerous precedent.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement of support for a Palestinian state brought a swift and negative reaction from President Donald Trump. He told reporters on Thursday that such a move threatens a pending trade deal with Canada. They have been negotiating for a new deal to potentially block Trump’s threatened tariff of 35% on all Canadian exports to the U.S. not covered by an existing deal that includes Mexico.
Fleitz said he believes that “Trump is going to ignore" the proclamations, “and he's going to try to embarrass these states into reversing this disastrous decision.”
The recognition announcements have some time built in. Canada, the U.K., and France have said their official recognition of a Palestinian state would not happen until a United Nations meeting in September.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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