CAIRO — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee ignited outrage across Arab and Muslim nations after telling Fox News host Tucker Carlson that Israel could claim vast swaths of the Middle East based on biblical precedent.

“It would be fine if they took it all,” Huckabee said Friday when Carlson asked about Israel’s right to territory encompassing modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and parts of Saudi Arabia. He rooted the claim in Genesis 15, where God promises Abraham’s descendants land from the Euphrates to the Nile.

A joint statement issued early Sunday by 15 foreign ministries and three regional organizations expressed “profound concern.” Signatories included the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab League also signed on.

The statement accused Huckabee of undermining President Donald Trump’s Gaza vision and war-ending plan. Those initiatives, it said, focus on containing escalation and forging a political path to Palestinian statehood. Huckabee’s words, according to the signatories, fuel Israel’s “expansionist policies and unlawful measures” that risk inflaming regional violence.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a separate call Saturday for the U.S. State Department to clarify the ambassador’s position. Jordan’s foreign ministry labeled the comments “absurd and provocative.”

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and evangelical pastor, has drawn fire since Trump named him ambassador in late 2024. Critics portray him as a Christian Zionist who prioritizes Israeli claims over Palestinian ones. He routinely refers to the occupied West Bank as Judea and Samaria, echoing terminology favored by Israel’s right-wing government.

The uproar unfolds amid heightened tensions over Israeli actions in the West Bank. The Israeli security cabinet approved measures earlier this month letting Israelis purchase land there and boosting government control over the area. The United Nations human rights office accused Israel of war crimes on Thursday, citing practices that displace Palestinians and shift demographics in a way that “raises concerns over ethnic cleansing.”

International observers warn these steps erode prospects for a two-state solution. Huckabee’s interview aired days after the U.N. report, amplifying scrutiny on U.S. policy under Trump. The ambassador has not responded publicly to the condemnations.

Regional diplomats see Huckabee’s rhetoric as more than rhetoric. One Gulf-based analyst, speaking anonymously, called it a signal of Washington’s tolerance for maximalist Israeli positions. Saudi officials have privately urged restraint from Jerusalem, even as Riyadh pursues normalization talks with Israel.

Huckabee’s tenure marks a shift from previous U.S. ambassadors, who balanced support for Israel with nods to Palestinian aspirations. His outspoken style echoes Trump’s approach, prioritizing biblical and security arguments over multilateral diplomacy.

As condemnations mount, eyes turn to Washington. The State Department has yet to comment. Huckabee’s past roles—presidential candidate in 2008 and 2016, Fox News contributor—have shaped his unfiltered public persona, now thrust into high-stakes diplomacy.