Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said it would be "fine" if Israel took control of the entire Middle East, describing the comments as reckless and a flagrant violation of international law.
The controversy erupted after Huckabee, an evangelical Christian Zionist and former governor of Arkansas, made the remarks on Friday during a wide-ranging interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. Carlson pressed Huckabee to identify the exact borders of land to which he responded: "It would be fine if they took it all," before later adding that Israel was not actively seeking to expand across the Middle East and had a right to live in the land it currently holds.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the remarks "contradict religious and historical facts, international law, and the position expressed by US President Donald Trump rejecting the annexation of the West Bank."
There was no immediate comment from Israel or the US State Department, which CNN said it had contacted for a response.
In a strongly worded statement, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "categorically denounced" the comments, rejecting what it described as "irresponsible statements, which constitute a violation of international laws, the Charter of the United Nations, and diplomatic norms."
Riyadh warned that the remarks represented a dangerous precedent, particularly given that they came from a serving US official, and amounted to a disregard for Washington's relations with countries across the region.
The backlash was swift and region-wide. Egypt's foreign ministry called Huckabee's comments a "blatant violation" of international law, stating that "Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands," while the League of Arab States said the remarks were "extremist and lacking any sound basis" and would "serve only to inflame sentiments and stir religious and national emotions."
Jordan's Foreign Ministry labelled the remarks "absurd and provocative," stating they violate the UN Charter and contradict President Trump's own official stance on rejecting West Bank annexation.
The remarks come at a particularly volatile moment. The UN human rights office, just days earlier, accused Israel of committing war crimes and said practices displacing Palestinians and altering the demographic composition of the West Bank "raise concerns over ethnic cleansing."
Israel has also encroached on more land since the start of its war with Hamas in Gaza, and under the current ceasefire, still controls more than half of Gaza's territory.
Saudi Arabia called on the US State Department to formally clarify its position, stressing that the proposal was "opposed by all peace-loving nations." Reiterating its long-held stance, Riyadh stressed that "the only path to achieving a just and comprehensive peace is ending the occupation on the basis of the two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."
