Huckabee's Israel land remarks condemned as dangerous' as controversy rumbles on

"In an episode released on Friday, Carlson pushed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as saying that Israel is entitled to the land between the Nile River in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq. In response, 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."

"The backlash widened sharply on Sunday as more than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments alongside three major regional organisations issued a joint statement denouncing the US diplomat's comments as dangerous and inflammatory. The statement, released by the United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry, was signed by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and the State of Palestine, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council."

"Saudi Arabia described the ambassador's words as reckless and irresponsible, while Jordan said it was an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region. Kuwait decried what it called a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, while Oman said the comments threatened the prospects for peace and stability in the region. Egypt's foreign ministry reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands."

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, referenced a biblical verse sometimes interpreted to grant Israel territory between the Nile and the Euphrates and said it would be "fine" if Israel took all, later calling the comment hyperbolic. More than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments and three regional organisations issued a joint statement denouncing the diplomat's comments as dangerous and inflammatory. The joint statement, released by the UAE foreign ministry, listed numerous state and organisational signatories. Individual countries labelled the remarks reckless, an assault on regional sovereignty, a violation of international law, and a threat to peace and stability, while Egypt reaffirmed Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory.

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