Mideast, Asian countries condemn U.S. ambassador's remarks suggesting Israel's right to entire Middle East

The foreign ministries of multiple Mideast and Asian countries, along with several regional organizations, issued a joint statement on Sunday strongly condemning remarks made by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee regarding potential Israeli control over the entire Middle East.

The statement was issued by the ministries of foreign affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and the State of Palestine, as well as the secretariats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

In the statement, the parties expressed strong condemnation of and profound concern over the ambassador's comments, which suggest that it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.

They categorically rejected what they described as dangerous and inflammatory remarks, saying such statements constitute a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations and pose a grave threat to regional security and stability.

The statement reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other occupied Arab lands and further warned that continued expansionist policies and unlawful measures would incite violence and undermine prospects for peace.

In a contentious interview with podcaster Tucker Carlson posted on Friday, Huckabee said Israel has a "biblical right" to claim control over the entire Middle East, or at least most of the region. "It would be fine if they took it all," Huckabee said.

The ambassador's remarks have earlier drawn widespread condemnation from various countries. Iraq's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that such remarks represent "an infringement upon the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, in addition to carrying negative implications for the security and stability of the region."

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on social media platform X that Huckabee's words constitute "a bold testament to American active complicity in the Israeli regime's expansionist wars of aggression as well as its colonial genocide of Palestinians."

He added that "such extremist ideological rhetoric" would only further embolden Israel to continue its "atrocity, crimes and illegal measures" against Palestinians as well as its "constant aggression" against regional nations.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia described the ambassador's words as "reckless" and "irresponsible," while Jordan said it was "an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region."

Kuwait also decried what it called a "flagrant violation of the principles of international law," while Oman said the comments "threatened the prospects for peace" and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, Egypt's foreign ministry reaffirmed "that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands."

The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee's words "contradict U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank."

(With input from agencies)