The US Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Mike Huckabee, in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, stated that he would not object if Israel were to take most of the Middle East. He based this statement on what he described as the Jewish people’s right to the land, rooted in the Bible.
In a question raised by interviewer Carlson, who mentioned that a biblical verse had promised the land to the descendants of Abraham including the area between the Euphrates River in Iraq and the Nile River in Egypt. This comprises modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and parts of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Huckabee responded, “It would be fine if they took it all.” He was appointed ambassador by President Donald Trump last year.
Although the US envoy later withdrew his statement, saying it “was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement,” he still left the door open for Israeli expansionism based on his religious interpretation. The envoy further added that if Israel ended up being attacked by all these places, and if Israel won that war and took that land, it would be okay; that’s a whole other discussion.
Israel also set up military outposts at five points inside Lebanon after the 2024 war with Hezbollah. The idea of a “Greater Israel” with expanded borders has been openly welcomed by some Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This is one of the bold statements by US officials at a time when US-Iran talks are ongoing, amid the shadow of regional conflict and the US’s naval presence around Iran.
