Alwaght- The controversial new remarks by American ambassador to the Israeli regime, Mike Hukabee, has triggered waves of strong reactions across the Arab world. In a controversial television appearance, Huckabee ignited a firestorm across the region by invoking biblical scripture to lay claim to Arab lands. During an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Huckabee referenced the Book of Genesis, suggesting Israel has a divine right to territories spanning from the Nile River to the Euphrates.
When pressed by Carlson on whether this effectively grants Israel a divine right to land belonging to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Huckabee responded without hesitation. "It would be nice if Israel could have all of it," he stated. "That specific piece of land we are talking about, Israel, is land that God gave to the people he chose through Abraham."
The ambassador's remarks detonated like a bomb across regional media, sparking immediate condemnation and trending across social media platforms among Arab users. In a rare show of unity, 14 Islamic and Arab nations issued a joint statement denouncing the comments.
"We condemn the statements of the American ambassador, which accept Tel Aviv's dominion over lands belonging to Arab countries, including the West Bank," the statement read, adding: "These dangerous remarks are a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to the region's security and stability." The nations reaffirmed that they "categorically reject any sovereignty for Israel over the occupied Palestinian territories or any occupied Arab lands, and oppose any attempt to annex the West Bank or separate it from the Gaza Strip."
Hamas responded, characterizing Huckabee's comments as a direct threat. "The US ambassador's support for the geographical expansion of the Zionist entity and the occupation of Arab and Islamic lands is a direct threat to Arab and national security," the group said. "It is a wake-up call that the Zionist project does not target Palestine alone, but threatens the geography, identity, and stability of the entire region."
The Islamic Jihad movement echoed the sentiment, stating that Huckabee's positions are a stark translation of Washington's biased policy. They argued his comments support annexation and Judaization projects that contradict international law and violate the sovereignty of regional states and the rights of their people.
On the other hand, some former American officials reacted to the controversial comments. Laurence Selin, a retired army colonel of the US army said that "the US embassy in Jerusalem under Hukabee does not represent the US people but the Israeli government."
The timing catches the attention, especially as it comes amid growing regional tensions and possibility of a broad regional war. Some observers see these remarks aligned with recent similar comments by Israeli regime's officials. This includes remarks by ex-PM Naftali Bennett, who had earlier said that "the world will not love Israeli. What we need is the world to fear us and our friends to respect us", or comments by Israeli President Isaac Herzog who talked about Israel holding plans that would shift the West Asian path.
These remarks by Hukabee come as the radical cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months has put on its agenda realization of "Greater Israel" plan. The policy is meant to occupy parts of the Islamic territories for expansion of Israeli regime, a project its groundwork has been laid to a large extent over the past two years.
The Israeli regime has taken advantage of Gaza war and managed to seize large tracts of this Palestinian territory, without showing any sign of intention for withdrawal. Hardline ministers in Tel Aviv are actively pushing for the complete occupation of Gaza, aiming to both expand the territory under Israeli control and guarantee the security of settlers. Simultaneously, Netanyahu's cabinet is advancing its occupation policy in the West Bank through new plans, using settlement construction and land seizures to displace Palestinians and lay the groundwork for an exclusively Jewish state.
In Lebanon, Israel has already occupied certain areas and is preparing to implement ambitious projects there, including a proposal to build settlements in the south. "Some may see our efforts as delusional, but we insist that settlement in southern Lebanon, which is part of the land of Israel and located in the Upper Galilee, is on its way," said Anna Solutskin, a leader of the Israeli organization Uri Tzafon. "We are not dreamers; we are in close contact with officials."
In Syria, Israeli forces have exploited the instability following the rise of terrorist groups to power to seize additional territory. These actions appear to be coordinated steps toward realizing the "Greater Middle East" and "Greater Israel" projects, initiatives that have taken on a joint Israeli-American character with the backing of the Donald Trump administration. Huckabee's recent statements, in this context, reflect a shift from traditional policy toward an openly ideological and religious rationale for expansion.
Since the establishment of Israel, the US has remained one of its primary security and political patrons, providing extensive military aid and diplomatic cover in international forums. Under Trump, this policy accelerated dramatically, from recognizing Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israel's capital to unveiling the "deal of the century" peace plan. Now, Washington is supporting Israel's expansionist projects more forcefully than ever, solidifying Tel Aviv's position and defending its interests on the world stage.
Therefore, these resolute American supports to the Israeli regime are actually a green light for Tel Aviv hardliners, giving them the leeway to advance their expansionist and occupational plans unchecked.
Washington supporting occupation while claiming advocacy for peace
The remarks by the American ambassador soon revealed a conspicuous controversy between words and actions of the White House. Arab and Islamic countries in their condemnation statement said: " The US ambassador's statements stand in stark opposition to the vision laid out by President Donald Trump and his comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza." While Trump has repeatedly boasted that no American president has been a greater supporter of Tel Aviv, the explicit endorsement of the Zionist "Nile to Euphrates" project reveals a deeper reality: the so-called peace council is, in practice, a tool for cementing the regime's sovereignty over Palestinian land.
The newly established Board of Peace that is ostensibly made for peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis is actually a means of legitimization of the Israeli regime, not a true instrument for ending the conflict.
Trump has recently voiced his opposition to an Israeli plan to annext the West Bank and, on the surface, tries to paint himself an advocate to de-escalation in the occupied territories. However, if Huckabee's remarks reflect the true policies of the White House, this signifies that Trump acts just contrary to his stated standings. So, Washington's green light to Israeli territorial expansionism will leave the peace initiatives in the West Bank and Gaza in a serious danger and will fuel distrust.
The accelerating pace of settlement construction, the ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands, and the expansionist schemes in Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank signal one thing above all and it is that Washington's determination to cement Tel Aviv's hegemony over West Asia. From a regional perspective, these signals pose a grave threat to security, stability, and the very future of peace. Arab nations that have spent recent years trying to manage tensions through normalization with Tel Aviv are now bracing for a powerful backlash from their own publics. Therefore, the Israeli territorial expansionism can put the Arab governments in a difficult situation and as a result the American diplomatic initiatives for Israel-Arab normalization and convergence will backfire.
