Share and Follow
TEL AVIV – A political storm brewed over the weekend following comments by U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, which have sparked widespread disapproval among Arab and Muslim nations. Huckabee’s controversial remarks suggested that Israel has a rightful claim to large portions of the Middle East. However, U.S. officials have since clarified that his statements were misinterpreted and do not reflect a shift in American foreign policy.
The remarks in question were made during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on Friday. Carlson, referencing biblical scripture, suggested that the descendants of Abraham were promised a vast expanse of land that would encompass much of today’s Middle East, including areas of modern-day Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. He cited Genesis Chapter 15 and probed Huckabee on whether Israel had claims to that territory.
In response, Huckabee provocatively stated, “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Following the backlash, a spokesperson from the U.S. Embassy issued a statement on Sunday, insisting that Huckabee’s comments were taken out of context and reaffirming that there has been no alteration in U.S. policy towards Israel.
During the interview, Huckabee further elaborated on his stance, insisting, “They’re not asking to go back and take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in, they now own legitimately, and it is a safe haven for them.” He emphasized that Israel’s primary concern is the safety and protection of its citizens, not the conquest of neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq.
A joint statement Sunday by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories and several Arab governing bodies called Huckabee’s remarks “dangerous and inflammatory” and ones that endanger the region’s stability.
“These statements directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump … based on containing escalation and creating a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement that ensures the Palestinian people have their own independent state,” the statement said.
During the six-day 1967 Mideast war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula as part of a peace deal with Egypt following the 1973 Mideast war. It also unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Since the ceasefire with Hamas began in October, after two years of fighting, Israel’s military controls most of Gaza’s eastern half.
Israel has attempted to deepen control of the occupied West Bank in recent months. It has greatly expanded construction in Jewish settlements, legalized outposts and made significant bureaucratic changes to its policies in the territory. Trump has said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank and has offered strong assurances that he’d block any move to do so.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and strong supporter of Israel and the West Bank settlement movement, has long opposed the idea of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.
Carlson has been critical of U.S. support for Israel in the war in Gaza and has come under fire for his own far-right views, including the white-supremacist theory that says whites are being “replaced” by people of color.
Israeli concerns about Iran
Meanwhile, tensions are high in Israel as the country prepares for a possible attack from Iran. Iran previously said it will attack both Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East if the United States attacks it.
Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible, even as the country’s top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States.
The movements of additional U.S. warships and airplanes to the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran, but they bolster Trump’s ability to carry out one if he chooses.
Netanyahu warned last week that if Iran attacks Israel, they will risk a “response that they cannot even imagine.”
Israel attacked Iran last year during indirect U.S.-Iran talks, sparking a 12-day war. The United States inserted itself in the war by bombing Iranian nuclear sites.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.