US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told Tucker Carlson it would be "fine" if Israel took control of a large portion of the Middle East, citing a biblical interpretation of promised land. He qualified the remark and said Israel is primarily seeking to protect its people and hold the land it currently occupies. Huckabee has previously voiced support for annexing the West Bank, a position that appears at odds with former President Trump's public statement opposing annexation. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the comments, and the State Department has been contacted for comment.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee Says It Would Be 'Fine' If Israel Took Control Of Much Of The Middle East — Remarks Draw Criticism
Israeli flags are seen near Nablus, West Bank on February 15, 2026. - Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu/Getty Images
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that it would be "fine" if Israel assumed control over a large portion of the Middle East, a comment that has drawn immediate criticism and renewed questions about Washington's stance in the region.
During the interview, Carlson asked Huckabee to discuss a biblical interpretation that some read as granting territory — including parts of Egypt, Syria and Iraq — to the Jewish people. Carlson said that reading would place Israel's borders as "basically the entire Middle East," and asked whether Israel had a right to that land.
"Not sure we'd go that far," Huckabee replied. "It would be a big piece of land." When pressed, he added: "It would be fine if they took it all," then qualified the remark: "I don't think that's what we're talking about here today."
Carlson asked specifically whether it would be acceptable for Israel to take over all of Jordan. Huckabee responded: "They're not trying to take over Jordan. They're not trying to take over Syria. They're not trying to take over Iraq or anywhere else, but they do want to protect their people." He also said Israel seeks to hold the land it currently occupies and lives in, which he described as a legitimate safe haven.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during an interview with Reuters in Jerusalem, September 10, 2025. - Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Context And Reactions
The remarks come months after President Donald Trump named Huckabee as his nominee for ambassador to Israel in November 2024. At the time, Huckabee publicly expressed support for Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, telling Israel's Army Radio that he would carry out presidential policy and praising Trump's prior steps on Israel's sovereignty.
That stance appears to clash with an earlier public remark by Trump, who last September said, "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It's not going to happen." Observers say Huckabee's suggestion of broad Israeli sovereignty would mark a sharp break from long-standing US policy and exceeds positions publicly advocated by many in Israel's far-right.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Huckabee's comments Saturday, saying they "contradict religious and historical facts, international law, and the position expressed by US President Donald Trump rejecting the annexation of the West Bank." CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Why It Matters: A senior US official publicly expressing willingness to endorse expansive Israeli territorial claims — even hypothetically — could complicate delicate diplomatic balancing, inflame regional tensions, and provoke concern among US partners and Palestinian authorities.
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