Arab League, Muslim nations condemn Huckabee for ‘Greater Israel’ comments in Carlson interview

The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation both issue statements condemning recent comments made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee as “extreme,” “unacceptable” and “a violation of international law and norms.

The statements from the two organizations refer to comments made by Huckabee during his contentious interview with right-wing American commentator Tucker Carlson that aired yesterday, in which he remarked that “it would be fine” if Israel took over so-called Greater Israel, which includes parts of several Arab and Muslim countries. Huckabee then backtracked and said the comment was made hyperbolically.

In its statement, the Arab League condemns Huckabee’s “extreme” comment, in which he “asserted Israel’s right to control the Middle East, citing religious texts from the Old Testament.”

The comments “violated all the basic principles and established norms of diplomacy, as well as defying logic and reason,” the group of 22 Arab nations says, adding that the US envoy’s words “contradict US policies and positions across the board, aimed at currying favor with the right-wing public in Israel.”

“Such extremist and baseless statements inflame religious and nationalistic sentiments at a time when Arab states are meeting under the auspices of the Board of Peace to discuss ways to implement the Gaza peace agreement and seize this opportunity to launch a serious peace process,” it adds.

#أبو_الغيط يدين تصريحات متطرفة للسفير الأمريكي لدى اسرائيل pic.twitter.com/C4e0AbfVoM

— الأمين العام لجامعة الدول العربية (@lassecgen) February 21, 2026

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is made up of 57 mostly Muslim-majority nations, including the entire Arab League, issues a similar statement, saying it “condemns the dangerous and irresponsible” comments made by Huckabee.

The OIC says the US envoy’s comments were “an unacceptable call for the expansion of Israel” that were “based on a false and rejected historical and ideological narrative.”

Such remarks “fuel extremist ideological rhetoric would fuel extremism and encourage” Israel to ” continue its illegal measures based on displacement, settlement, and attempts to impose annexation” on Palestinian territory, the group says.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (#OIC) condemns the remarks of the US Ambassador to #Israel (#USAmbIsrael) as a clear call to violate international law. #Palestine #WestBank #MiddleEast #MikeHuckabee #Huckabee pic.twitter.com/NMCUiGutqF

— OIC (@OIC_OCI) February 21, 2026

Huckabee, a devout Christian, made the comment after being pressed by the Carlson on his assertion that a part of the Jewish people’s right to the land stemmed from God’s promise to Abraham, while noting that that promised land spanned a far larger territory than that of today’s Israel, encompassing much of present-day’s Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He asked whether it did not follow then that Israel had a right to take land from neighboring Arab countries.

After initially avoiding the matter, Huckabee eventually said, “It would be fine if they took it all,” while swiftly adding that this was not on the table as “They’re not asking to take it over.”

Carlson then asked the US ambassador to confirm he was fine with Israel taking over “all of Syria, all of Lebanon.” Huckabee responded, “That’s really not exactly what I’m trying to say,” adding that “It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”

In a subsequent back-and-forth, Carlson demanded to know whether Huckabee believes Israel “has a moral right to take over what are now other people’s countries,” as the envoy insisted he had not said that. Eventually, Huckabee said: “If they end up getting attacked by all these places and they win that war and they take that land, then, okay, that’s a whole other discussion.”