Muslim and Arab nations on Saturday condemned remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said in an interview that Israel has a biblical right to control territory described in the Bible as the “Promised Land,” an area that would encompass much of today’s Middle East.
In the interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Huckabee was asked about the biblical promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit land stretching “from the Nile to the Euphrates,” a territory spanning from Egypt through parts of modern-day Syria and Iraq. Carlson asserted that such a description would effectively include most of the Middle East and asked whether Israel was entitled to that land.
“That would be the Levant. So that would be Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. It would also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” Carlson said. “It would be,” Huckabee replied, appearing somewhat uncomfortable.
“Israel is a land that God gave through Abraham to a people that he chose. It was a people, a place and a purpose,” added Huckabee, an evangelical Christian. Pressed again by Carlson on whether the Jewish people have a right to all the territory mentioned in the Bible, Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Huckabee emphasized that Israel has no intention of expanding into those areas, but the comments quickly drew backlash.
Saudi Arabia called the ambassador’s remarks “dangerous” and “irresponsible.” In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the statements of the U.S. ambassador to Israel, in which he recklessly suggested that Israeli control over all of the Middle East would be acceptable.” The ministry said the comments violated international law, the UN Charter and diplomatic norms.
“This extremist rhetoric portends grave consequences and threatens international peace and security by antagonizing the countries and peoples of the region and undermining the foundations of the international order,” the statement said.
“In this regard, the Kingdom reiterates its firm and longstanding position rejecting any actions that undermine the sovereignty, borders, and territorial integrity of states. It stresses that the only path toward a just and comprehensive peace is ending the occupation based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Jordan described the remarks as “an infringement on the sovereignty of the countries of the region.” Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Israel “has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands,” calling the statement a “blatant violation of international law.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry protested Huckabee’s agreement with the idea that Israel has a biblical right to rule from the Nile to the Euphrates, saying the remarks contradict religious and historical facts, international law and the declared position of President Donald Trump opposing annexation of the West Bank.
The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also issued condemnations, saying the comments were extreme and provocative and do not reflect official U.S. policy. The Arab League said such statements “serve only to inflame sentiments and stir religious and national emotions.”
Later, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, released a joint statement expressing “strong condemnation and deep concern” over Huckabee’s remarks. The statement said it would be unacceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the West Bank.
The interview also drew attention for additional controversial comments by Carlson. During the exchange, Carlson questioned whether Jews are truly descendants of Abraham and suggested conducting DNA tests on all residents of the land to determine who the “real” descendants are.
Neither the Israeli government nor the Trump administration immediately responded to the criticism.
The interview gained additional attention after Carlson claimed that members of his team had been detained for questioning at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, an assertion denied by both Israeli authorities and the U.S. administration.
Carlson, who for years hosted a popular prime-time program on Fox News and was once considered relatively mainstream within the U.S. conservative movement, was dismissed by the network in 2023 following a defamation lawsuit tied to false claims about the 2020 presidential election. Since then, he has become a prominent podcaster whose videos on the social media platform X draw tens of millions of views.
In recent years he has adopted a more hard-line and isolationist stance within the pro-Trump MAGA movement and has frequently criticized Israel, at times promoting conspiracy theories, including allegations that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency operated disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.