US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in remarks from Quito, Ecuador, referred to the recognition of a Palestinian state, stressing the serious consequences that such an action could have. “We told all these countries, we told them, if you go ahead with the recognition, it’s a fake thing, it’s not even real, if you do it you will create problems,” Rubio said.

He added that recognizing the Palestinian state would cause a backlash, which would make ceasefire efforts even more difficult, and might cause dangerous actions, or at least attempts at such actions.

Regarding Israel‘s alleged discussion of annexation of the West Bank, Rubio chose not to express an opinion, but indicated that the issue is not final.