{"id":28834,"date":"2026-02-22T16:12:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T11:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iq\/?p=28834"},"modified":"2026-02-22T16:12:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T11:12:32","slug":"arab-states-condemn-huckabee-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/arab-states-condemn-huckabee-remarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Arab states condemn Huckabee over remarks on Israel\u2019s right to Middle East land"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Arab states condemn Huckabee after the US ambassador to Israel suggested in a podcast interview that Israel had a biblical right to vast territories across the Middle East. The comments quickly triggered widespread criticism from Arab and Islamic countries that viewed the remarks as dangerous and a provocation amid ongoing tensions in the region.<\/p>\n<p>The backlash emerged as governments warned that such statements undermine efforts to de-escalate the Gaza war and risk fueling further instability, particularly at a time when regional diplomacy remains focused on preventing wider conflict.<\/p>\n<h2>Arab and Islamic nations issue joint condemnation<\/h2>\n<p>More than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments released a coordinated statement rejecting Huckabee\u2019s comments, which were made during a discussion with US commentator Tucker Carlson. The episode explored biblical interpretations claiming Israel could extend from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq, prompting Huckabee to remark that \u201cit would be fine if they took it all\u201d before later calling the statement hyperbolic.<\/p>\n<h3>Countries signing the joint statement<\/h3>\n<p>The unified response was issued through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>United Arab Emirates<\/li>\n<li>Egypt<\/li>\n<li>Jordan<\/li>\n<li>Indonesia<\/li>\n<li>Pakistan<\/li>\n<li>Turkiye<\/li>\n<li>Saudi Arabia<\/li>\n<li>Qatar<\/li>\n<li>Kuwait<\/li>\n<li>Oman<\/li>\n<li>Bahrain<\/li>\n<li>Lebanon<\/li>\n<li>Syria<\/li>\n<li>State of Palestine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council also signed the statement.<\/p>\n<h3>Key points from the joint statement<\/h3>\n<p>The governments said the remarks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Contradict international law and the UN Charter<\/li>\n<li>Threaten regional security and stability<\/li>\n<li>Undermine diplomatic efforts to reduce escalation in Gaza<\/li>\n<li>Suggest acceptance of Israeli control over Arab lands including the occupied Palestinian territory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They reaffirmed that Israel holds no sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or any other Arab territories under international law.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions from individual Arab states<\/h2>\n<p>Saudi Arabia described Huckabee\u2019s words as reckless and irresponsible. Jordan said they constituted an assault on Arab sovereignty. Kuwait noted a flagrant violation of international legal principles, while Oman warned that the comments damage prospects for peace.<\/p>\n<p>Egypt reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over any occupied Arab territory, and the Palestinian Authority stated that the remarks contradict Washington\u2019s declared rejection of Israeli annexation of the West Bank.<\/p>\n<h3>Iran and other responses<\/h3>\n<p>Iran also weighed in, accusing Huckabee of exposing what it described as \u201cAmerican complicity\u201d in Israeli expansionism. The statement added that such rhetoric encourages continued occupation and conflict across the region.<\/p>\n<h2>Context of Huckabee\u2019s remarks and political implications<\/h2>\n<p>The controversy comes as Israel has moved to register large areas of land in the West Bank, a step widely viewed as paving the way for annexation. The move drew criticism from Arab states earlier in the month and revived concerns about renewed settlement expansion.<\/p>\n<h3>US policy and Gaza war context<\/h3>\n<p>The joint statement noted that Huckabee\u2019s comments contradict the approach of US President Donald Trump, whose administration has emphasized reducing escalation in Gaza and promoting a political framework for a two-state solution.<\/p>\n<h4>Huckabee\u2019s clarification<\/h4>\n<p>After the backlash, Huckabee described his initial comment as exaggerated, saying Israel was not seeking to expand beyond its current borders. He did not address the core biblical reference that triggered the controversy.<\/p>\n<h2>Regional fears over expansionist rhetoric<\/h2>\n<p>The idea of Israel claiming lands extending across modern-day Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and parts of Saudi Arabia has long been rejected by Arab governments as a provocation rooted in extremist interpretations.<\/p>\n<h3>Why it matters for Iraq<\/h3>\n<p>Iraq is directly referenced in the biblical concept discussed in the interview. Statements implying a right to lands reaching the Euphrates echo historical territorial claims that have shaped political sensitivities in the region. Iraqi officials have consistently opposed any rhetoric suggesting the redefinition of borders in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The uproar over Huckabee\u2019s comments highlights the sensitivity surrounding territorial issues and the role of international rhetoric in shaping regional tensions. Arab governments continue to emphasize that any suggestion of expanding Israeli control threatens stability and undermines diplomatic efforts at a critical moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arab states condemn Huckabee after the US ambassador to Israel suggested in a podcast interview that Israel had a biblical right to vast territories across the Middle East. The comments quickly triggered widespread criticism from Arab and Islamic countries that viewed the remarks as dangerous and a provocation amid ongoing tensions in the region. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","override":[{"template":"7","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"topbottom","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}