Outcry after Ambassador Mike Huckabee suggests Israel has God-given right to Middle East land

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sparked international controversy on Friday, February 21, 2026, when he suggested in an interview with podcaster Tucker Carlson that Israel has a biblical right to take over large swaths of the Middle East, drawing swift condemnation from Arab states and even some U.S. allies. During the YouTube interview, Huckabee stated, 'It would be fine if they took it all, but I don't think that's what we're talking about here today,' when discussing his Christian Zionist beliefs and interpretations of the Old Testament regarding land promised to Abraham and his descendants. The remarks triggered an immediate backlash, with a joint statement from the foreign ministries of over a dozen Arab and Muslim nations expressing their 'strong condemnation and profound concern' regarding Huckabee's comments, which they described as 'dangerous and inflammatory.' Huckabee has since defended his remarks, claiming that a viral clip from the interview did not provide the full context of their two-hour exchange. In a post on X, the ambassador explained that they had a 'very twisty and frankly confusing discussion about the meaning of Zionism,' and that he had been asked 'as a former Baptist minister about the 'theology' of Christian Zionism.' In the interview, Huckabee was responding to Carlson's question about a Bible verse promising Abraham land 'from the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates,' which Carlson noted would include 'basically the entire Middle East.' Huckabee clarified, 'I'm not sure it would go that far, but it would be a big piece of land,' adding that Israel 'is not trying to take over Jordan, take over Syria, take over Iraq, or anywhere else, but they do want to protect their people.' The ambassador's controversial comments reflect his longstanding views on Israeli territorial claims. Huckabee, a devout Christian and outspoken Zionist, has frequently drawn on the Bible when discussing the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and has consistently advocated for referring to it by its biblical name of 'Judea and Samaria.' Prior to his appointment as envoy, he was outspoken about his support for annexing the occupied West Bank, a position that would reverse decades of U.S. policy. His remarks came just a week after Israel's Security Cabinet approved measures to tighten control over the West Bank, a move that also attracted widespread concern from Western governments and condemnation throughout the Middle East. The regional response to Huckabee's comments has been uniformly negative, with the League of Arab States calling them 'extremist and lacking any sound basis,' while Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the remarks, posting 'I Huckabee' on X.