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A JOINT condemnation by Arab and Islamic countries escalated on Saturday following controversial remarks by US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee (pic), suggesting that Israel has a biblical entitlement to a vast stretch of the Middle East.
AFP cited on Sunday that the diplomat’s comments, made during an interview on far-right commentator Tucker Carlson’s podcast, drew swift backlash across the region.
Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and longstanding supporter of Israel, was asked about a biblical verse sometimes interpreted to grant Israel the land from Egypt’s Nile to the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.
He initially stated, “It would be fine if they took it all,” before clarifying that Israel was “not asking to take all of that” and that his words were “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”
Despite the attempt at clarification, the comments provoked a broad regional outcry. More than a dozen countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and the State of Palestine, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, issued a joint statement describing Huckabee’s remarks as “dangerous and inflammatory.”
The statement, released through the UAE’s foreign ministry, declared that the ambassador’s comments contravened the UN Charter and undermined ongoing efforts to de-escalate the Gaza conflict and pursue a comprehensive political settlement in the region.
Several states had already issued individual condemnations.
Saudi Arabia called the remarks “reckless” and “irresponsible,” Jordan described them as “an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region,” and Kuwait condemned what it called a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law.”
Oman said the remarks “threatened the prospects for peace and stability,” while Egypt reaffirmed that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands.”
The Palestinian Authority highlighted that Huckabee’s comments “contradict US President Donald Trump’s rejection of annexing the West Bank.”
Huckabee later published two posts on X addressing other topics from the podcast but did not revisit his biblical land statement. Meanwhile, the speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, praised the ambassador for his pro-Israel stance and criticised Carlson for “falsehoods and manipulations.”
Carlson himself has faced recent accusations of antisemitism, including criticism for a lengthy, uncritical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust, and labelled American Jews as disloyal.
The incident underscores heightened sensitivities in the region, illustrating how statements by US officials can trigger rapid diplomatic backlash and exacerbate already tense relations amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. - February 22, 2026