Mike Huckabee just threatened seven Arab nations’ sovereignty

Statements by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, sparked widespread Arab and Muslim anger after he said he ‘sees no problem’ with Israel taking over the entire Middle East, before later describing his remarks as ‘metaphorical exaggeration.’

Mike Huckabee: quoting scripture for colonialist purposes?

Huckabee’s remarks came during an interview with American media personality Tucker Carlson on Monday, when he was asked about religious texts that refer to ‘the land of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates.’ He replied, ‘It would be good if they took it all,’ adding that the land ‘was given by God through Abraham to a chosen people’.

Huckabee, who was appointed ambassador in April 2025, is known for his controversial statements, including his repeated assertion that ‘there is no such thing as a Palestinian,’ and his suggestion that a Palestinian state be established in Jordan or parts of Sinai, arguing that ‘there is a lot of Arab and Islamic land, while there is only one small Israel.’

In the recent interview, Huckabee rejected the idea of invoking the Palestinians’ genetic ties to the land, saying that ‘the ruins and stones speak for themselves,’ referring to what he calls archaeological discoveries in ‘Judea and Samaria’ (the West Bank) as, in his words, ‘the only deed of ownership.’

The text cited by Carlson and confirmed by Huckabee appears in Genesis 15 and speaks of a divine covenant with the prophet Abraham granting his descendants a land stretching ‘from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.’ According to this interpretation, the geographical area referred to includes all of historic Palestine, as well as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, which would mean a radical change in the map of the Middle East.

The US ambassador did not rule out the scenario of future military expansion, saying that if Israel were attacked by countries in the region and ‘won that war and took that land, that would be a completely different discussion.’

Wide geographical scope

The proposal approved by Huckabee, according to the common geographical interpretation of the text, is not limited to historic Palestine, but extends to include:

• Jordan

• Lebanon

• Syria

• Large parts of Egypt

• Iraq

• Saudi Arabia

This means, in practical terms, redrawing the map of the Middle East and swallowing up existing sovereign states.

The ‘Greater Israel’ movement

Huckabee’s statements come in the context of the rise of a movement within the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu that embraces the vision of ‘Greater Israel.’ Netanyahu said in August 2025 that he was ‘strongly attached’ to this vision.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is also one of the most prominent advocates of this approach, having previously stated that Israel’s future ‘is expansion to Damascus’ and that it ‘must extend to include Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.’

On the ground, Palestinian and international parties accuse Israel of accelerating the pace of ‘de facto annexation’ in the West Bank by expanding settlements and transferring powers to Israeli civil authorities, thereby undermining the two-state solution and the 1967 borders.

Arab and Islamic condemnations

According to Red Canary, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned Huckabee’s statements, describing them as ‘dangerous and irresponsible,’ asserting that they are based on ‘false historical and ideological claims’ and violate the sovereignty of states and the United Nations Charter.Huckabee

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also stressed that ‘Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian or other Arab territories,’ rejecting any attempts to annex the West Bank or separate it from the Gaza Strip.

For its part, the Saudi Foreign Ministry considered the US ambassador’s statements to be ‘disregard for the distinguished relations’ between the countries of the region and Washington, warning of their repercussions on regional security and peace. Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait condemned the statements, considering them to be an infringement on the sovereignty of states and a violation of international law.

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council also expressed his rejection of these statements, describing them as irresponsible and unprecedented.

Palestinian objection to Mike Huckabee’s comments

On the Palestinian side, the Foreign Ministry considered Huckabee’s statements to be ‘an explicit call for an attack on the sovereignty of states’ and contrary to historical facts and international law, affirming that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are occupied Palestinian territories.

For its part, Hamas said that the statements reflect a ‘colonial mentality’ and constitute support for projects of hegemony and annexation, calling for Arab and Islamic positions that go beyond condemnation.

These developments reignite the debate over the future of the conflict in the region and the limits of political and religious discourse in addressing issues of sovereignty and occupation, amid warnings that such statements could fuel tensions and deepen polarisation in the Middle East.

Featured image via the Canary