More than a dozen Arab and Islamic countries jointly condemned US ambassador Mike Huckabee’s remarks suggesting Israel had a biblical right to vast Middle East territory, calling them dangerous and destabilising
A wave of condemnation swept across the Middle East on Sunday after Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, suggested that Israel had a biblical right to a vast stretch of territory across the region.
Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israel, made the remarks during an interview on the podcast hosted by Tucker Carlson. In the episode, Carlson referenced a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as granting Israel land stretching from Egypt’s Nile River to the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.
In response, Huckabee said: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
When pressed further, he added that Israel was “not asking to take all of that”, describing his earlier remark as “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”
Joint condemnation from Arab and Islamic bloc
The comments triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash. More than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments, alongside three major regional organisations, issued a joint statement denouncing the ambassador’s remarks as “dangerous and inflammatory”.
The statement, released by the UAE’s foreign ministry, was signed by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and the State of Palestine, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The signatories said the remarks contravened the UN Charter and undermined efforts to de-escalate the Gaza war and create a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement.
Several governments had already issued unilateral rebukes. Saudi Arabia described the comments as “reckless” and “irresponsible”, while Jordan called them “an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region”.
Kuwait termed the remarks a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law”, and Oman said they “threatened the prospects for peace” and regional stability.
Egypt’s foreign ministry reaffirmed “that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands”.
Political reverberations
The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee’s comments “contradict US President Donald Trump’s rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank”.
Huckabee later posted on X clarifying other aspects of the interview but did not revisit his biblical land comment.
Meanwhile, Israeli parliament speaker Amir Ohana praised Huckabee for his pro-Israel stance and accused Carlson of “falsehoods and manipulations”.
The controversy comes amid heightened regional tensions over Gaza, with diplomatic sensitivities running high.
End of Article
