Fourteen Arab and Islamic countries and organizations have condemned remarks by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in which he claimed that Israel has a right to control lands belonging to Arab states, citing what he described as a biblical right.
Huckabee said that Israel has a biblical right to control the entire Middle East, or at least most of it, stating during an interview with broadcaster and podcaster Tucker Carlson that “it would be acceptable if they took it all.”
In a joint statement published early Sunday, February 22, the foreign ministries expressed deep concern over Huckabee’s remarks, affirming their categorical rejection of such “provocative” and “dangerous” statements.
The statement was issued by Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Palestine, Lebanon, and Oman, as well as the Secretariats of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
According to the statement, the remarks constitute a blatant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, and pose a serious threat to regional security and stability.
The ministries said the remarks directly contradict the vision put forward by US President Donald Trump, as well as the comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which is based on containing escalation and creating a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement that guarantees the Palestinian people the establishment of their independent state.
They added that this vision is grounded in promoting values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and that any statements seeking to legitimize the control of others’ territories undermine these goals, fuel tensions, and incite conflict rather than contribute to peace.
The countries reaffirmed in their joint statement that there is no Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories or over any other occupied Arab lands.
They also expressed their total rejection of any attempts to annex the West Bank or separate it from the Gaza Strip, as well as their strong opposition to expanding settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories and any threats to the sovereignty of Arab states.
The statement warned that the continuation of expansionist policies and illegal measures pursued by Israel would only ignite further violence and conflict in the region and undermine prospects for peace.
The countries called for an end to such inflammatory statements, reiterating their firm commitment to the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of their independent state along the June 4, 1967 lines, and to and to ending the occupation of all Arab territories under occupation.
Based on a biblical verse
During the discussion, Carlson referred to a biblical verse in which God promises Abraham that his descendants will inherit land “from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
Carlson added that, according to modern geography, this area would encompass “almost the entire Middle East.”
“It would include the Levant… Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, as well as large parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” he said.
Huckabee responded, “I’m not sure it would go that far, but it would be a large piece of land.”
He added, “Israel is land given by God, through Abraham, to a chosen people. There was a people, a place, and a purpose.”
When asked whether Israel has the right to that land, Huckabee replied, “It would be acceptable if they took it all.”
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