Report: US officials rush to calm Arab anger over Huckabee’s Greater Israel remarks

Senior Trump administration officials are working to reassure Arab nations after Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a podcast interview with Tucker Carlson that Israel has a right to control vast areas of the Middle East, Politico reported Monday.

Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau and other officials have reportedly clarified in private that Huckabee’s remarks, which referenced biblical borders from the Nile to the Euphrates, reflect personal views rather than a shift in administration policy.

The comments sparked a joint condemnation from over a dozen governments, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who labeled them “dangerous and inflammatory.”

While the U.S. Embassy claimed the remarks were taken out of context and Huckabee later described them as hyperbolic, the incident has highlighted internal ideological splits.

Additionally, despite Huckabee’s long-standing support for Israel’s illegal West Bank settlements, the administration reportedly maintains that the president has promised leaders he would not allow the annexation of the West Bank.