U.S. diplomat stirs ire, saying Israel has right to more Mideast land

Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East.

- BY SAM MEDNICK AND SAMY MAGDY

Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land.

Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.” He added, however, that Israel was not looking to expand its territory and has a right to security in the land it legitimately holds.

His comments sparked immediate backlash from neighboring Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and League of Arab States, which in separate statements called them extremist, provocative and not in line with the U.S. position.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry described Huckabee’s comments as “extremist rhetoric” and “unacceptable,” and called for the State Department to clarify its position on them.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry called his comments a “blatant violation” of international law, adding that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.”