![\"US](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-128668666,imgsize-762644,width-400,resizemode-4\/pic-12.jpg\" "\\"US")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nUS Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee drew condemnation from 14 Arab nations after agreeing with a biblical notion about Israel\u2019s right to control Arab lands.Huckabee made the remarks in an interview on Friday with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Referring to a biblical verse describing Israel\u2019s region as extending between the Euphrates River in Iraq and the Nile in Egypt, Carlson raised the idea of Israel controlling the entire area. Huckabee replied, \u201cIt would be fine if they (Israel) took it all.\u201d In a joint statement issued Saturday night from Doha, the foreign ministries of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and the State of Palestine described the comments as \u201cdangerous and inflammatory.\u201d They expressed \u201cprofound concern\u201d and \u201cstrong condemnation,\u201d saying the remarks suggested \u201cit would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.\u201d The signatories said they \u201ccategorically rejected\u201d the statements and affirmed that \u201cIsrael has no sovereignty whatsoever over the Occupied Palestinian Territory or any other occupied Arab lands.\u201d They added that such remarks were a \u201cflagrant violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations\u201d and \u201cpose a grave threat to the security and stability of the region.\u201dHuckabee later moderated his stance, calling his earlier remark \u201csomewhat of a hyperbolic statement\u201d and saying Israel was \u201cnot asking to take all of that.\u201d He added that Israel is not seeking to enlarge its current territory and has a right to security within the land it currently holds.Despite the clarification, the ministries called for \u201can end to these incendiary statements,\u201d warning that remarks seeking to \u201clegitimise control over the lands of others\u201d fuel tensions rather than advancing peace. They also warned that \u201cthe continuation of Israel’s expansionist policies and unlawful measures will only inflame violence and conflict in the region\u201d and \u201cundermine the prospects for peace,\u201d stressing that the territory described in the interview would include modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and parts of Saudi Arabia. The ministries further said the comments \u201cdirectly contradict the vision put forward by US President Donald Trump, as well as the US Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,\u201d which they said aim to contain escalation and create a political horizon for an independent Palestinian state.<\/div>\n\n