Brent Sadler joins to discuss more Western nations recognizing Palestinian statehood, putting them at odds with the U.S. and Israel.

A group of more than 20 U.S. Republican lawmakers has sent a letter to France, Canada, Australia, and the U.K., warning that recognition of a Palestinian state could undermine direct negotiations and Israel's security. The letter suggests that such recognition may encourage Hamas and could put these countries at odds with U.S. policy, potentially leading to punitive measures.

Commentators noted that details on how recognition would be implemented remain unclear and characterized the move as largely diplomatic posturing. The discussion also highlighted the challenge of envisioning a Palestinian state free of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by many Western countries. The segment briefly shifted to Afghanistan, noting the Taliban's rejection of U.S. troop redeployment and the influence of regional powers like China.

Western countries to recognize Palestinian statehood

All right, to discuss this and more, let's bring in retired U.S. Navy captain and senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Brent Sadler. Brent, great to be with you today. A lot to get to, but I'm going to pick up of what Shelby was talking about. And more than 20 Republicans wrote a letter to France, Canada, and Australia, and the U.K. And they said this. They said, recognition of a Palestinian state undermines the principles of direct negotiation and imperils Israel's security, and reinforces the effectiveness of Hamas' violence and rogue behavior. They then went on to say that the recognition will put these countries at odds with U.S. policy and interests, and may invite punitive measures in response. Brent, your reaction to that, and what do you think that we'll hear from those leaders gathered in New York today for the U.N. General Assembly? Yes. I mean, thanks for having me on. The practicalities, or the practical measures, are really slim on details about how this would be actualized. Otherwise, this is really diplomatic posturing, with the big negative aspect that it basically encourages Hamas to dig in and to fight on, rather than free the remaining living hostages and seek an end to the war in Gaza. And that's not good for the Palestinian people right now. And again, it does leave out the—it leaves the option for future sanctions against our former allies on this issue, because if they are viewed as supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas, as they go through this recognition process, they do open them up to that type of countermeasure. Yeah, Brent, is it realistic, you know, for the U.K. to envision a Palestinian state that's actually free of Hamas or another terrorist organization? I think it's necessary. It's not really a question of, can you? I mean, politically in London and these capitals, there's a very large, very vocal pro-Hamas element which they have to deal with. But the reality is, Hamas is a terrorist organization. It's antithetical to Western ideals and beliefs, and certainly against democracy. And there's no future where the Palestinians are better off that's got Hamas still somewhere in it. Yeah, I want to switch now to this, still staying kind of in the Middle East, to Afghanistan. The Taliban now rejecting President Trump's demands to send U.S. troops back to Bagram Air Base. And they released a statement. They said this, quote, it should be recalled that under the Doha agreement, the United States pledged that it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan nor interfere in its internal affairs. Therefore, it is necessary that they remain faithful to their commitments. Brian, I want you to weigh in on that. And what do you think is going to happen here? Yeah, this one is interesting, that clearly Bagram Airfield is important from a geographic position for military operations in Central Asia. But the U.S., under very flawed policies under the Biden administration, evacuated over hastily. And the opportunity to actually maintain an effective military presence was gone. There's something perhaps larger at play here. And again, China's not too far away, and its influence in the region is certainly one to be watching to see how it plays out in the near future, especially as it tries to use its Belt and Road Initiative to seal in enough energy resources in a potential future war this decade. All right, we're going to leave it right there, Brent. Always great to get your insights. Thank you so much for coming on this morning. Thank you very much.

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Israel continuing assault on Gaza after countries recognize Palestinian statehood

A group of US Republicans has sent a letter to France, Canada, the UK and Australia, urging them to re-consider their decision to recognise a Palestinian state.  It's warning there may be consequences if the countries move ahead with plan at the upcoming UN General Assembly.

US Republicans warn allies over decision to recognise Palestinian state

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