The U.S. ambassador to Israel is facing criticism following his remarks regarding Israel’s territorial rights in the Middle East, a topic that has intensified amidst growing tensions with Iran.
Mike Huckabee sparked controversy during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. During the discussion, Carlson referenced biblical claims that descendants of Abraham have a right to a large area of the Middle East, which includes present-day Israel.
When asked whether Israel has a legitimate claim to this land, Huckabee responded, “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Despite this bold statement, Huckabee, a Republican, clarified that Israel is not attempting to expand its borders but is instead focused on maintaining security over the territories it currently controls.
Pressed further by Carlson, Huckabee admitted that his comment was somewhat hyperbolic, suggesting a need to clarify that the issue at hand is not as extreme as it might have appeared.
‘It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement in that, you know, if that’s what you feel like that we’re talking about, but it isn’t,’ Huckabee said when pressed by Carlson.
‘We’re talking about this land that Israel, the state of Israel, now lives in and wants to have peace in. They’re not trying to take over Jordan. They’re not trying to take over Syria.’
But Huckabee’s words provoked a heated international response, drawing rebukes from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States.
US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, suggested Israel has rights to lot of land in the Middle East based on the Bible
Huckabee told Tucker Carlson that the descendants of Abraham are entitled to land that today encompasses much of the Middle East, but said the Jewish nation isn’t trying to expand its borders
Carlson meanwhile has been accused of anti-Semitism after the combative interview in which he made a series of fiery claims to Huckabee, including ventilating unsubstantiated claims about Epstein’s ties to Israel. Carlson has always denied anti-Semitism.
The interview came as tensions between the US and Iran continue to heat up, with suspicions rising that America will strike the neighboring Middle Eastern country soon.
The US has sent more than 60 attack aircraft to a military base in Jordan, satellite images showed on Friday. The fleet is triple the size that is normally stationed there.
Another US fleet was seen at a Portugal air base on Saturday.
The three countries have been had odds before, including last year’s 12-day war, where the US and Israel bombed Iran’s key nuclear and military sites.
Donald Trump has alluded to striking Iran again in the coming days, telling reporters on Friday that he was considering military action to pressure Iranian officials to negotiate the terms of the country’s nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry described Huckabee’s comments as ‘extremist rhetoric’ and ‘unacceptable,’ and called for the US State Department to clarify its position.
Egypt’s foreign ministry called his comments a ‘blatant violation’ of international law, adding that ‘Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.’
‘Statements of this nature – extremist and lacking any sound basis – serve only to inflame sentiments and stir religious and national emotions,’ the League of Arab States said.
Huckabee’s comments drew international ire from the already heated Middle East, as it is expected President Donald Trump will issue a strike against Iran in the coming days
The US has sent more than 60 attack aircraft to a military base in Jordan, satellite images showed on Friday. The fleet is triple the size that is normally stationed there
Satellite images from January revealed a number of aircraft at the Jordanian air base
There was no immediate comment from Israel or the United States. The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and Huckabee for comment.
Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has not had fully recognized borders. Its frontiers with Arab neighbors have shifted as a result of wars, annexations, ceasefires and peace agreements.
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.
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.
Palestinians have for decades called for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with east Jerusalem its capital, a claim backed by much of the international community.
Huckabee has long opposed the idea of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.
In an interview last year, he said he does not believe in referring to the Arab descendants of people who had lived in British-controlled Palestine as ‘Palestinians.’
Middle Eastern leaders have called on the US to clarify its position on Israel, which is led by Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured), after Huckabee’s comments
In the latest interview, Carlson pressed Huckabee about his interpretation of Bible verses from the book of Genesis, where he said God promised Abraham and his descendants land from the Nile to the Euphrates.
‘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.
Huckabee replied: ‘Not sure we’d go that far. I mean, it would be a big piece of land.’
Israel has encroached on more land since the start of its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Under the current ceasefire, Israel withdrew its troops to a buffer zone but still controls more than half the territory. Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw further, though the ceasefire deal doesn’t give a timeline.
After Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted at the end of 2024, Israel’s military seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria created as part of a 1974 ceasefire between the countries.
Israel said the move was temporary and meant to secure its border.
And Israel still occupies five hilltop posts on Lebanese territory following its brief war with Hezbollah in 2024.
