Hamas: US Rejects Labour's Plea for Hamas to Retain Weapons
The United States has rejected British calls to allow Hamas to retain its weapons, citing concerns over the terrorist organization's ability to handle and secure arms. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, expressed skepticism about the idea, arguing that Hamas cannot be trusted with "small arms" such as AK-47s and other personal weapons.
Huckabee further dismissed proposals to store Hamas's weapons in secure facilities in Gaza, expressing worries that they could fall into the wrong hands. He questioned the practicality of such an arrangement, stating, 'I’m not sure how that even works. How do you create a cache of weapons into some kind of control, and who controls the key to that lock?'
This stance aligns with the US's broader skepticism towards Hamas's claims of disarmament. Huckabee emphasized, 'Nobody’s going to take Hamas’s word for it, because Hamas is not trustworthy. They proved themselves to not be civilised people. They don’t do things in a civilised way.'
The US's peace talks with Hamas have been unsuccessful, as the organization has refused to disarm. Huckabee compared the situation to leaving Nazis in charge of governing Germany after World War II, suggesting that Hamas's involvement in Gaza's governance is undesirable.
The White House's peace plan, which began in January, has not yet outlined a clear method for disarming Hamas. Huckabee cited Hezbollah as an example of what the US does not want in terms of peace, as efforts to disarm them have been unsuccessful.
The US is also in ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear and long-range missile program, with Huckabee warning that a strike by the White House could occur if a deal is not reached soon. He concluded, 'We’ll soon find out if they learnt anything from the 12-day war.'
