New Delhi: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is facing backlash from Arab and Muslim nations after saying in a podcast interview that it would be “fine if they took it all” when discussing Israel’s historical and biblical claims to land in West Asia.
In an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Huckabee referred to what he described as Israel’s “historical and biblical rights” to the land, invoking passages from the Old Testament. When pressed by Carlson about interpretations of the biblical promise stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates — an area encompassing much of the Middle East — Huckabee replied, “It would be fine if they took it all.”
‘Israel not seeking to take over the region’
Carlson noted that such an interpretation could include modern-day Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Huckabee later appeared to soften his position, calling his earlier comment “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement” and adding that Israel was not seeking to take over the region but wanted security for its people.
“They don’t want to take it over. They are not asking to take it over… but they want to protect their people,” he said. He added that territorial outcomes in the context of war would be “a whole other discussion”.
Backlash from Arab countries
The remarks triggered immediate condemnation. Jordan’s foreign ministry described the statement as “absurd and provocative”, calling it a violation of diplomatic norms and international law. Egypt’s foreign ministry termed the comments a “blatant violation” of international law, asserting that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands. The League of Arab States said the remarks were extremist and risked inflaming regional tensions.
Israel’s borders have shifted since its establishment in 1948 due to wars and agreements. In the 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula. It later returned Sinai to Egypt but continues to occupy the West Bank and Golan Heights. Israel withdrew settlers and troops from Gaza in 2005 but maintains a blockade and re-entered the territory following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.