Arab and Muslim Countries Condemn US Ambassador’s Remarks Saying It Would Be “Fine” if Israel Took Over the Entire Middle East
Washington (QNN)- Several Arab and Muslim countries have strongly condemned remarks made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said it would be “fine” if Israel took over the entire Middle East.
On Friday, Huckabee said on The Tucker Carlson Show that Israel is well within its rights to seize all the land between the Euphrates and Nile Rivers, which would span five countries as well as the occupied Palestinian territories.
The remarks are a reference to the "Greater Israel" project that has been espoused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several other senior Israeli officials.
The conservative political commentator pressed Huckabee repeatedly to identify the exact borders of the land that he has long insisted was given by God to the Jewish people.
"What land are you talking about? Because I just read Genesis 15 [in the Bible] as I have many times, and that land, I think it says from the Nile to the Euphrates, which is, once again, basically the entire Middle East," Carlson said.
"What does that mean? Does Israel have the right to that land? Because you're appealing to Genesis, you're saying that's the original deed."
Huckabee paused and said, "It would be fine if they took it all."
"But I don't think that's what we're talking about here today," he added.
"Well, that's exactly what we're talking about today," Carlson responded. "I don't think it would be fine."
"They're not asking to take it over," Huckabee then said.
"They're not asking to go back and take all of that, but they're at least asking to take the land that they now occupy, that they now live in," he explained.
"You're explaining what Christian Zionism is in your theological beliefs," Carlson replied. "And I think you just said it would be fine with you if the State of Israel took all of Israel, all of Syria, all of Lebanon..."
"That's really not exactly what I'm trying to say," Huckabee interrupted.
"It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement."
"They're not trying to take over Jordan. They're not trying to take over Syria. They're not trying to take over Iraq or anywhere else, but they do want to protect their people now," he continued.
“Now if they end up getting attacked by all these places, and they win that war, and they take that land then, okay, that’s a whole other discussion."
The interview came after a public back-and-forth between Carlson and Huckabee.
https://x.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/2019264911629775139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2019264911629775139%7Ctwgr%5Eabd3081eb9e95e2531b6bb06f13de06c13300fe1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fisrael-news%2Farticle-886267
In recent days, Carlson took his show to Jordan to speak with two prominent Christians about religious freedom in the kingdom, as well as in Jerusalem.
Carlson criticized Huckabee’s handling of issues involving Christians. Huckabee is an ordained Christian minister and an avowed Zionist.
He derided the ambassador for not stepping in on behalf of Palestinian Christians who were violently attacked by Israeli settlers.
"What ambassador Huckabee is doing is shameful, and he's gonna have to answer for it," Carlson said.
Not long after the episode was posted to YouTube on Wednesday, Huckabee took to X.
"Hey @TuckerCarlson instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?"
"Thanks for this," Carlson replied on X.
"I’d love to. We’ll reach out to your office today to set up an interview. Much appreciated."
Carlson, whose online platform reaches millions, has become one of the most prominent rightwing voices denouncing Israel’s grip on US politics, particularly since it launched its genocide on Gaza on 7 October 2023.
He travelled to Israel on Wednesday for a sit-down with Huckabee. He said Israeli security officials detained him and members of his team shortly after the interview.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Carlson said Israeli officials confiscated passports and took one of his colleagues into a separate room for questioning.
Huckabee’s remarks suggesting that Israel could take over the entire Middle East have sparked widespread outrage, with Arab and Muslim countries slamming the statement.
Statements slamming the remarks have come out from Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League.
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the statements by Huckabee as "irresponsible, escalatory and absurd".
"The official spokesperson for the ministry, Ambassador Fuad Al-Majali, rejected these absurd and provocative statements, which constitute a violation of diplomatic norms, an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region, and a flagrant breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations," it said.
It noted that Huckabee's remarks, made during an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show on Friday, contradict the position of US President Donald Trump's administration, which has rejected the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Saudi Arabia described the statement as "reckless" and "irresponsible", while Kuwait called it a "flagrant violation of the principles of international law".
Oman warned that the comments "threatened the prospects for peace" and stability in the region.
The Palestinian foreign ministry echoed similar sentiments, saying that the remarks represent an "explicit call to infringe on the sovereignty of states".
It added that the comments also back Israel's extermination and displacement of Palestinians, alongside the annexation of internationally recognised occupied territories.
Under international law, an occupying power is prohibited from seizing land in occupied territory.
In its statement, it urged the US to take a "clear and explicit stance" regarding the remarks, which it says "do not help in achieving President Trump's vision for permanent peace in the Middle East".
Meanwhile, the OIC condemned the remarks as a "clear call to violate international law", warning that "extremist ideological rhetoric would fuel extremism and encourage [Israel] to continue its illegal measures".
The Arab League on the other hand stressed that Huckabee's statements "violated all the basic principles and established norms of diplomacy, as well as defying logic and reason".
In a joint statement, 14 Arab and Muslim countries also condemned his remarks, including Qatar, Indonesia, Egypt, Kuwait, and Lebanon.
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Huckabee is a prominent figure in the pro-Israel evangelical Christian movement, and has previously denied the existence of the Palestinian people. In a recent interview with a podcaster, he labeled himself an “unapologetic, unreformed Zionist”.
