Arab, Muslim countries slam U.S. Ambassador's remarks on Israel’s right to West Asian land

Arab and Muslim nations condemn U.S. Ambassador's remarks on Israel's land rights as inflammatory and contrary to international law.

Arab and Islamic countries issued a joint condemnation on Sunday (February 22, 2026) of remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who suggested Israel had a biblical right to a vast swath of the West Asia.

Mr. Huckabee, a former Baptist Minister and a fervent Israel supporter, was speaking on the podcast of far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson.

#Statement | The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, together with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the League of Arab States (LAS), and the… pic.twitter.com/0fLelytuoJ

In an episode released Friday (February 20, 2026), Mr. Carlson pushed Mr. 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, Mr. Huckabee said: "It would be fine if they took it all."

When pressed, however, he continued that Israel was "not asking to take all of that", adding: "It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement."