US Scrambles to Calm Arab Allies After Huckabee’s Biblical Expansion Comments
The U.S. State Department is in "damage control" mode after Ambassador Mike Huckabee told Tucker Carlson it would be "fine" if Israel took over massive swaths of the Middle East based on biblical prophecy.
The State Department has launched an urgent diplomatic "damage control" campaign following controversial remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. In an interview with Tucker Carlson that aired on Friday, February 20, Huckabee suggested he would be "fine" with Israel occupying vast territories across the Middle East based on biblical promises.
According to a Politico report published yesterday, and confirmed by sources today, senior American officials have spent the last 48 hours calling counterparts in Arab capitals to clarify that Huckabee’s statements do not signal a shift in U.S. foreign policy.
The diplomatic firestorm was ignited during a discussion on Carlson’s show regarding the "Covenant of Abraham."
Carlson noted that the biblical description of Israel’s borders - stretching from the "Wadi of Egypt to the Great River Euphrates" - would include modern-day Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and large parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
When asked if Israel has a right to that land, Huckabee replied: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Huckabee later qualified his statement, noting that Israel "is not asking to go back and take all of that" and is currently focused on protecting the land it legitimately holds. He described his initial remark as "somewhat of a hyperbolic statement."
The remarks triggered a rare joint condemnation from over **14 nations**, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Qatar.
To prevent a breakdown in cooperation with regional allies, many of whom are critical to current negotiations regarding Iran, the State Department has been working to distance the Trump administration from the Ambassador's words.
Reassurances have been sent to allies stating that Huckabee was speaking as an individual rather than conveying a new White House directive.
Critics also pointed out that Huckabee’s expansionist rhetoric directly contradicts President Trump’s "20-Point Framework" for Middle East peace, which rejects the annexation of Judea and Samaria.