Remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, suggesting Israel has a biblical right to a significant portion of the Middle East, have triggered widespread condemnation from Arab and Islamic nations. The comments, made during an interview on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, ignited a diplomatic firestorm on Sunday as a joint statement from over a dozen countries and regional organizations denounced the statements as “dangerous, and inflammatory.”
Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, engaged with Carlson on the interpretation of a biblical verse often understood to define the historical and religious boundaries of ancient Israel, encompassing land from the Nile River to the Euphrates. When pressed by Carlson, Huckabee stated, “It would be fine if they took it all,” before clarifying that Israel was “not asking to take all of that,” characterizing the initial statement as “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”
The unified response, released by the United Arab Emirates’ 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. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council also added their signatures to the statement. The signatories asserted that Huckabee’s comments violated the UN Charter and undermined efforts to de-escalate the ongoing conflict in Gaza and pursue a comprehensive political settlement.
Individual Arab states issued earlier, separate condemnations. Saudi Arabia labeled the ambassador’s words “reckless” and “irresponsible.” Jordan characterized the remarks as “an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region.” Kuwait denounced the comments as a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law,” while Oman warned that they “threatened the prospects for peace” and regional stability. Egypt’s foreign ministry reiterated that Israel holds no sovereign claim over occupied Palestinian territories or other Arab lands.
The Palestinian Authority, in a post on X, stated that Huckabee’s remarks contradicted former U.S. President Donald Trump’s previous rejection of Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
On Saturday, Huckabee posted on X to clarify his position on other topics discussed during the interview, but did not directly address his statement regarding the biblical verse. Meanwhile, Amir Ohana, speaker of the Israeli parliament, praised Huckabee’s overall pro-Israel stance in the interview and accused Carlson of “falsehoods and manipulations” on X.
According to reports from Jüdische Allgemeine, Carlson recently visited Israel, though sources indicate his stay was brief. The visit occurred amidst the controversy surrounding his interview with Huckabee.
