Arab and Muslim nations, on Saturday, condemned the statement made by the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, supporting Israeli expansion in the Middle East.
They described Mr Hackabee’s comment as a threat to regional security and stability and as inciting religious and national sentiments.
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Mr Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday, when asked to clarify his stance on the biblical promise of the land from the Nile to the Euphrates to the descendants of Abraham.
“That would be the Levant, so that would be Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. It would also be a big part of Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” Mr Carlson said to him.
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To this, Mr Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, said, “Not sure we’d go that far. I mean, it would be a big piece of land. It would be fine if they took it all.”
Mr Huckabee said, Israel, however, was not looking to expand its territory and has a right to security in the land it legitimately holds.
These remarks drew swift condemnation from neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the League of Arab States.
In a statement on Saturday, the OIC described Mr Huckabee’s comment as “dangerous and irresponsible.”
The body, to which Nigeria is a party, described his remarks as an unacceptable call for the expansion of Israel, an occupying power. This would mean the seizure of additional Palestinian and Arab lands.
It said the remark was based on a “false and rejected historical and ideological narrative and claims that violate the sovereignty of states, diplomatic norms, principles of international law, UN resolutions and the UN Charter.”
The OIC also warned against the use of “extremist ideological rhetoric that would fuel extremism and encourage the Israeli occupation to continue its illegal measures based on displacement, settlement, and attempts to impose annexation on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which threatens security and stability in the entire region.”
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry referred to the comments as “unacceptable” and “extremist rhetoric,” noting that the US State Department must clarify its stance.
“This extremist rhetoric portends grave consequences and threatens international peace and security by antagonising the countries and peoples of the region and undermining the foundations of the international order collectively established by nations to put an end to devastating wars that claimed millions of lives and that uphold respect for the geographical borders of states and their sovereignty over their territories,”
Egypt said Mr Hackbee’s comment was a “blatant violation” of international law.
“Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.
According to the League of Arab States, “Statements of this nature — extremist and lacking any sound basis — serve only to inflame sentiments and stir religious and national emotions.”
In a joint statement co-signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, the statement said the “inflammatory remark” contradicts the vision of US President Donald Trump as documented in the 20-point comprehensive peace plan for Gaza.
These plans are “based on containing escalation and creating a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement that ensures the Palestinian people have their own independent state.”
However, neither the US nor Israel has yet commented.
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