The joint statement, released by the United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry and signed by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and the State of Palestine, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council, rejected the envoy’s remarks as contravening the UN Charter and undermining efforts to de-escalate the Gaza war.
The controversy stemmed from comments Huckabee made during an appearance on the podcast of far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, in which a biblical verse was discussed that is sometimes interpreted as granting Israel entitlement to land stretching from the Nile in Egypt to the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.
In the episode released on Friday, when pressed on that interpretation, Huckabee said: "It would be fine if they took it all."
When challenged further, he added that Israel was "not asking to take all of that", describing his earlier remark as "somewhat of a hyperbolic statement."
In response, the joint Arab and Muslim statement affirmed their “categorical rejection of such dangerous and inflammatory remarks”, stressing that they violate international law and obstruct the pursuit of a comprehensive political settlement.
The statement underscored that "Israel has no sovereignty whatsoever over the Occupied Palestinian Territory or any other occupied Arab lands", and reaffirmed a “categorical rejection of any threat to the sovereignty of Arab states".
Separately, Iran’s foreign ministry slammed Huckabee on X of exposing "American active complicity" in the Israeli regime’s "expansionist wars of aggression" against Palestinians.
Earlier reactions had already emerged from several Arab capitals.
Saudi Arabia characterized the ambassador’s remarks as "reckless" and "irresponsible", while Jordan described them as "an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region".
Kuwait denounced what it termed a "flagrant violation of the principles of international law", and Oman said the comments "threatened the prospects for peace" and stability in the region.
Egypt’s foreign ministry reiterated "that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands".
The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee’s comments "contradict US President Donald Trump's rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank".
Huckabee later posted two messages on X on Saturday clarifying other aspects of the interview, but he did not address his remarks concerning the biblical verse.
Meanwhile, Amir Ohana, speaker of the Israeli parliament, praised Huckabee on X for his broader pro-Israeli regime stance during the interview and accused Carlson of "falsehoods and manipulations".
Tucker Carlson has recently faced accusations of anti-Semitism, particularly following a lengthy and uncritical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust and described American Jews as disloyal.