Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, conveyed that he would not object if Israel were to claim most of the Middle East, emphasizing what he characterized as the Jewish people’s inherent right to the land.
During an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, which aired on Friday, Huckabee was questioned about Israel’s geographical boundaries, which he maintains are derived from biblical texts.
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Carlson informed Huckabee that the biblical verse had promised the territory to Abraham’s descendants, encompassing the area between Iraq’s Euphrates River and Egypt’s Nile River.
Such an expanse would include modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and portions of Saudi Arabia.
“It would be perfectly fine if they acquired it all,” stated Huckabee, who was appointed by President Donald Trump last year.
Carlson, who appeared taken aback by the declaration, asked Huckabee if he would indeed endorse Israel expanding its territory across the entire region.
“They do not wish to take it over. They are not requesting to take it over,” the ambassador replied.
The US envoy, a declared Christian Zionist and a strong supporter of Israel, later seemed to retract his assertion, saying it “was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement”.
Nonetheless, he left the possibility open for Israeli expansionism based on his religious interpretation.
“If they end up being attacked by all these places, and they win that war, and they take that land, OK, that’s an entirely different discussion,” Huckabee commented.
The Department of State did not respond to Al Jazeera’s inquiry seeking comment on whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio shares Huckabee’s opinions on Israel’s right to expand.
The principle of territorial integrity and the prohibition against acquiring land by force have served as cornerstones of international law since World War II.
In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is unlawful and must cease immediately.
However, Israeli law does not explicitly define the country’s borders. Israel also occupies the Golan Heights in Syria, which it unlawfully annexed in 1981.
The US is the sole country that recognizes Israel’s claimed sovereignty over the Syrian territory.
Following the 2024 war with Hezbollah, Israel also established military outposts at five points within Lebanon.
Some Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have openly promoted the notion of a “Greater Israel” with enlarged borders.
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked global condemnation in 2023 when he spoke at an event featuring a map that included the Palestinian territories and parts of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan as part of Israel, set against the colours of the Israeli flag.
In his interview with Carlson, Huckabee attempted to argue that Israel’s right to exist is grounded in international law, but he also criticized the legal institutions overseeing international law for their opposition to Israeli transgressions.
“One of the reasons I’m so thankful President Trump and Secretary Rubio are pushing hard, trying to get rid of the ICC [International Criminal Court] and the ICJ is because they have become renegade organizations that are no longer genuinely focused on an equal application of law,” he said.
Beyond his declared religious dedication to Israel, Huckabee has faced criticism for failing to advocate for the rights of US citizens who have been killed and imprisoned by Israeli forces during his ambassadorship.
Last year, Huckabee even provoked anger from some conservatives in the US when he met with convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who sold US intelligence secrets to the Israeli government, details of which later reached the Soviet Union at the peak of the Cold War.
Pollard, a former civilian analyst in the US Navy, served 30 years in prison and moved to Israel in 2020 after his release. He never expressed regret for his crimes, and in 2021, he urged Jewish employees in US security agencies to spy for Israel.
Huckabee stated he does not agree with Pollard’s opinions, but he denied hosting him, asserting that he simply held a meeting with him at the US embassy in Jerusalem.
When asked if anyone could simply walk into the embassy to meet the envoy, Huckabee acknowledged that such a meeting requires a pre-approved appointment.
“He was permitted to come to the US embassy to have a meeting at his request. I did, and honestly, I don’t regret it,” Huckabee said.
“I’ve met with numerous individuals during my time here and will meet with many more.”