Overview
- More than a dozen governments and the OIC, Arab League and GCC condemned Mike Huckabee’s interview remark that “it would be fine if they took it all” when pressed about a biblical Nile-to-Euphrates claim.
- The joint statement, released via the UAE, included Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and the State of Palestine, calling the comments dangerous and a violation of international law.
- A U.S. Embassy spokesperson said Huckabee’s comments signaled no change in American policy and noted his full remarks stated Israel is not seeking to alter its boundaries.
- Huckabee later described the line as “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement,” reiterating that Israel is not asking to take wider regional territory and emphasizing a focus on security where it “now lives.”
- Regional capitals pressed Washington to clarify its stance as Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich voiced support for Huckabee, and the joint statement warned expansionist rhetoric undermines de-escalation and prospects for peace.