A significant diplomatic crisis has erupted across the Middle East following inflammatory statements made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, prompting unified condemnation from multiple Arab governments and international organizations. The controversy stems from Huckabee’s appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, where he endorsed the concept of Israeli territorial expansion across the entire Middle East region.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the diplomatic charge, characterizing Huckabee’s comments as “irresponsible, escalatory and absurd” in an official statement. Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fuad Al-Majali explicitly rejected these “provocative statements,” noting they constitute both a violation of diplomatic norms and a flagrant breach of international law and the United Nations Charter. The Jordanian government emphasized that such rhetoric directly contradicts the stated position of the Trump administration regarding West Bank annexation.
The Palestinian foreign ministry issued parallel condemnation, labeling the remarks an “explicit call to infringe on the sovereignty of states” that effectively endorses Israel’s displacement of Palestinians and annexation of internationally recognized occupied territories. They urgently called upon the United States to provide explicit clarification regarding these comments, which they argue fundamentally undermine President Trump’s vision for Middle East peace.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joined the growing chorus of criticism, condemning the ambassador’s statements as a “clear call to violate international law” that risks fueling extremism and encouraging continued illegal measures by Israel. Simultaneously, the Arab League denounced Huckabee’s rhetoric as defying “all basic principles and established norms of diplomacy, as well as logic and reason.”
The controversial exchange occurred when Carlson pressed Huckabee to identify the biblical borders referenced in Genesis 15, which describes territory “from the Euphrates to the Nile” – encompassing approximately five nations and occupied Palestinian territories. When asked whether Israel had divine rights to this expansive territory, Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
This endorsement aligns with the “Greater Israel” project previously espoused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. Huckabee, a prominent evangelical Christian leader and former Arkansas governor, has historically rejected the two-state solution, instead advocating for aggressive Jewish immigration to maintain demographic majority in a single state.