US says Palestinian recognition is ‘fake,’ warns countries it could provoke a response

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned countries that granting recognition to Palestine as a state would create further complications and described these measures as ‘fake.’

Speaking to the media during a visit to Ecuador on Thursday, Rubio criticised France and other nations moving toward recognition. He warned that such steps could prompt Israel to annex parts of the West Bank.

Rubio stressed that Washington has conveyed to all countries that recognising Palestine at this stage is “fake and unrealistic,” adding that it would only heighten tensions. He argued that recognition would complicate efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and could intensify the ongoing Israeli military campaign there.

During a meeting with his counterpart Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa, Rubio warned, “We told all these countries, we told them all, we said if you guys do this recognition stuff it's all fake, it's not even real, if you do it you're going to create problems.”

Read more: Trump withdraws US from Unesco over Palestine recognition

"There's going to be a response, it's going to make it harder to get a ceasefire and it may even trigger these sorts of actions that you've seen, or at least these attempts at these actions,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Several European countries, including Britain and France, have recently voiced support for Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly. In reaction, Israel’s Finance Minister called for the annexation of West Bank territories to quash the possibility of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has warned Israel that any annexation of the West Bank would cross a “red line.”