Arab and Muslim countries have criticized the US ambassador’s comments on Israel’s right to land in West Asia.

Arab and Islamic nations on Sunday (Feb 22, 2026) jointly condemned comments by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who suggested Israel has a biblical right to vast swathes of land in West Asia.

Mr Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and staunch supporter of Israel, was speaking on a podcast by far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson.

In an episode airing Friday (Feb. 20, 2026), Mr. Carlson pushed Mr. Huckabee on the meaning of a Bible verse sometimes interpreted as giving Israel a right to land between the Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.

In response, Mr Huckabee said: “It would be nice if they took it all.”

However, when pressed, he continued that Israel is “not asking to take everything,” adding, “It’s somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”

Backlash On Sunday (February 22, 2026), more than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments – along with three major regional organizations – issued a joint statement – condemning the US diplomat’s comments as “dangerous and inflammatory”.

The statement issued by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs 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.

They said the comments contradicted the UN Charter and efforts to de-escalate the Gaza war and advance the political horizon for a comprehensive settlement.

Earlier, several Arab countries unilaterally condemned it.

Saudi Arabia described the ambassador’s words as “reckless” and “irresponsible”, while Jordan called it “an attack on the sovereignty of countries in the region”.

Kuwait condemned what it called a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law”, while Oman said the comments “threatened prospects for peace and stability in the region”.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry reiterated that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.”

Speaking at the Palestinian Authority X, Mr. Huckabee’s words “contrast US President Donald Trump’s rejection of (Israel’s) annexation of the West Bank”.

On Saturday, Mr. Huckabee published two posts on X, further clarifying his stance on other topics touched on in the interview, but not addressing his comment about the Bible verse.

The Speaker of Israel’s Parliament, Amir Ohana, praised X on Mr. Huckabee for his general pro-Israel stance in the interview, and Mr. Carlson was accused of “lies and manipulations”.

Mr. Carlson recently found himself facing accusations of anti-Semitism, particularly after a long, non-critical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes — a man who praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust and branded American Jews traitors.