JERUSALEM: Arab countries condemned on Saturday remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said he would not be opposed to Tel Aviv taking over large swathes of the Middle East.

Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, was speaking with far-right commentator Tucker Carlson.

In a podcast episode released on Fri­day, Carlson pushed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as saying that Israel is entitled to the land between the river Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.

In response, Huckabee said: “It would be fine if they took it all.”

Several Arab countries condemned the diplomat, describing his words as “reckless” and “irresponsible”, while Jordan said it was “an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region”. Also, Egypt reaffirmed “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands”.

The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee’s words “contradict US President Donald Trump’s rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank”.

On Saturday, Huckabee published two posts on X further clarifying his position on other topics touched upon in the interview, but did not address his remark about the biblical verse.

The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, praised Huckabee on X for his general pro-Israel stance in the interview, and accused Carlson of “falsehoods and manipulations”.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2026