Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Israeli troops deploy with their tanks near the border fence with the Gaza Strip on August 1, 2025. Jack Guez, AFP/File

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

JERUSALEM — Arab countries condemned on Saturday remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who appeared to suggest in an interview that Israel had a biblical right to a vast swathe of the Middle East.Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and a fervent Israel supporter, was speaking on the podcast of far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson.In an episode released Friday, Carlson pushed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as saying that Israel is entitled to the land between the river Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.In response, Huckabee said: &quot;It would be fine if they took it all.&quot;When pressed, however, he continued that Israel was &quot;not asking to take all of that&quot;, adding: &quot;It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.&quot;Several Arab countries condemned the American diplomat in harsh terms.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/2/18/israel-accused-of-move-expanding-jerusalem-borders-for-first-time-since-1967-1131">Israel accused of move expanding Jerusalem borders for first time since 1967 </a></div>Saudi Arabia described his words as &quot;reckless&quot; and &quot;irresponsible&quot;, while Jordan said it was &quot;an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region&quot;.Kuwait decried what it called a &quot;flagrant violation of the principles of international law&quot;, while Oman said the comments &quot;threatened the prospects for peace&quot; and stability in the region.Egypt&#x27;s foreign ministry reaffirmed &quot;that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands&quot;.The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee&#x27;s words &quot;contradict US President Donald Trump&#x27;s rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank&quot;.On Saturday, Huckabee published two posts on X further clarifying his position on other topics touched upon in the interview, but did not address his remark about the biblical verse.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/2/19/major-us-naval-air-buildup-sets-stage-for-potential-iran-war-0836">Major US naval, air buildup sets stage for potential Iran war </a></div>The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, praised Huckabee on X for his general pro-Israel stance in the interview, and accused Carlson of &quot;falsehoods and manipulations&quot;.Carlson has recently found himself facing accusations of antisemitism, particularly following a lengthy, uncritical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes — a figure who has praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust and branded American Jews as disloyal.

Arab countries condemned on Saturday remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who appeared to suggest in an interview that Israel had a biblical right to a vast swathe of the Middle East.

Arab countries condemned on Saturday remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who appeared to suggest in an interview that Israel had a biblical right to a vast swathe of the Middle East.

Arab countries condemn US ambassador's remarks on Israel's right to Mideast land

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Arab countries condemn US ambassador's remarks on Israel's right to Mideast land

Agence France-Presse

Published Feb 22, 2026 08:28 AM PHT

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Israel

United States

Mike Huckabee

Saudi Arabia

Kuwait

Jordan

Egypt

Oman

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