Arab and Islamic nations condemn US envoy’s biblical land claim remarks on Israel and region
More than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments have condemned remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting Israel could claim territory across the Middle East on biblical grounds, calling them dangerous and inflammatory.
- Arab governments condemned US Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s remarks suggesting Israel could claim extensive territory on biblical grounds.
- Regional organisations said the comments were dangerous and undermined Gaza ceasefire and peace efforts.
- The controversy comes amid ongoing disputes over settlements and international law in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Arab and Islamic nations have issued a sweeping rebuke of remarks made by the United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, after he appeared to suggest that Israel held a biblical claim to territory stretching across much of the Middle East.
The controversy erupted following a podcast interview released on Friday, in which Huckabee, speaking to American commentator Tucker Carlson, addressed a passage from the Hebrew Bible that some interpret as promising land from the Nile in Egypt to the Euphrates in present-day Syria and Iraq.
When asked about the verse’s meaning, Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Pressed further, he added that Israel was “not asking to take all of that”, describing his earlier remark as “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”
Regional outrage
The comments triggered immediate condemnation from governments across the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia labelled the remarks “reckless” and “irresponsible”, while Jordan described them as “an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region”.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated unequivocally that Israel “has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands”.
The Palestinian Authority, writing on X (formerly Twitter), said the ambassador’s remarks “contradict US President Donald Trump’s rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank”.
Two major regional bodies — the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League — also denounced the comments.
Both warned that statements appearing to legitimise territorial expansion could destabilise the region and inflame religious and nationalist sentiment.
The OIC described the remarks as “dangerous and irresponsible”, calling them an unacceptable endorsement of Israeli occupation and expansion.
It argued that such rhetoric, rooted in what it termed “false historical and ideological claims”, violated international law, United Nations resolutions, and the UN Charter.
In a statement carried by Tempo, the organisation warned that the ambassador’s comments could embolden policies of eviction, settlement expansion and de facto annexation in the occupied Palestinian territories — measures it said “threaten the prospects for peace and stability in the region”.
The bloc reiterated its support for what it described as the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including self-determination and the establishment of an independent state along the pre-5 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Joint diplomatic statement
The diplomatic backlash intensified on Saturday with a joint statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of a coalition of Arab and Islamic states and organisations.
Signatories included the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Lebanese Republic, the Syrian Arab Republic and the State of Palestine, alongside the secretariats of the OIC, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The joint communiqué expressed “strong condemnation and profound concern” over what it described as the ambassador’s suggestion that Israel could exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.
The ministries said the statements constituted a “flagrant violation” of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, and posed “a grave threat to the security and stability of the region”.
They further argued that the remarks directly contradicted the vision articulated by US President Donald J. Trump, as well as a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict — an initiative described as aiming to contain escalation and create a political pathway towards a comprehensive settlement that guarantees Palestinian statehood.
According to the statement, efforts to legitimise control over the land of others undermine prospects for tolerance and peaceful coexistence, instead fuelling tensions and incitement.
The signatories reaffirmed their rejection of any attempt to annex the West Bank or separate it from the Gaza Strip, and reiterated opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. They also rejected any threat to the sovereignty of Arab states.
Warning of further instability, the statement concluded that continued expansionist policies and “unlawful measures” would only intensify violence and erode the prospects for peace.
The coalition underscored its “steadfast commitment” to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state based on the 4 June 1967 borders, alongside an end to the occupation of all Arab lands.
Settlements and International Law
The controversy comes amid longstanding international disputes over Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing around 700,000 Jewish residents since occupying the territories during the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live in the same area.
The settlements are widely regarded as illegal under international law — a position reinforced by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in 2024, as reported by the BBC. Israel rejects that interpretation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently defended Israel’s claims. Following the ICJ opinion, he said the court had issued a “decision of lies” and insisted that “the Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land”.
Netanyahu has previously expressed support for what is sometimes referred to in Israeli political discourse as “Greater Israel” — a concept involving the expansion of Israeli sovereignty to include the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights, with some interpretations extending further.
Huckabee’s clarifications
On Saturday, Huckabee published two additional posts on X clarifying other aspects of the interview but did not directly address his remarks about the biblical passage.
Meanwhile, Israel’s parliamentary speaker, Amir Ohana, praised Huckabee’s generally pro-Israel stance during the interview and accused Carlson of “falsehoods and manipulations”.
