Arab, Muslim nations rebuke US envoy’s comments on Israel’s territorial rights

Arab and Muslim countries on Saturday condemned comments by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee , who suggested that Israel could claim large parts of the Middle East based on biblical interpretations.

Huckabee made the remarks during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson , aired on Friday. Carlson cited verses from the Book of Genesis suggesting that land promised to Abraham’s descendants would extend across much of today’s Middle East and asked whether Israel had a right to that territory.

“It would be fine if they took it all,” Huckabee said, while adding that Israel was not seeking territorial expansion and only aimed to ensure security within land it “legitimately holds.”

The remarks triggered strong reactions from Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States . In separate statements, they described the comments as extremist, provocative and inconsistent with official US policy.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry called the remarks “extremist rhetoric” and “unacceptable,” urging the US State Department to clarify its position. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the comments amounted to a “blatant violation of international law,” stressing that Israel holds no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.

The Arab League warned that such statements would inflame religious and national sentiments and further destabilise the region.

There was no immediate response from Israel or the United States.

Israel’s borders have remained disputed since its establishment in 1948, shaped by wars, ceasefires and peace agreements. During the 1967 Arab-Israeli 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 later returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt under a peace treaty following the 1973 war and withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

In recent months, Israel has expanded settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and legalised several outposts. US President Donald Trump has said he would not permit Israel to formally annex the West Bank and has pledged to block any such move.

Palestinians continue to seek an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, a position backed by much of the international community.

Huckabee has long opposed a two-state solution and has questioned the use of the term “Palestinians” for Arab descendants of people who lived in British-mandate Palestine.

Israel has also expanded control since the start of its war with Hamas in Gaza. Under the current ceasefire, Israeli forces withdrew to buffer zones but still control more than half the enclave.

Following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad in late 2024, Israeli troops moved into a demilitarised buffer zone in Syria created under a 1974 ceasefire agreement, calling the move temporary and defensive. Israel also continues to occupy five strategic hilltop positions in southern Lebanon after its brief conflict with Hezbollah in 2024.