The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, told journalist Tucker Carlson that Israel could legitimately take over large portions of the Middle East, citing biblical promises to Abraham. “It would be fine if they took it all,” Huckabee said during an interview posted on Friday, stirring controversy globally.

 

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Trump administration appointee, spoke with Carlson about interpretations of Old Testament scripture within the US Christian nationalist movement.

 

The conversation focused on a verse in which God promises Abraham’s descendants land “from the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

 

Carlson noted that the area described in the Bible would encompass “like, basically the entire Middle East.” He added: “The Levant … Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon – it’d also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.” Huckabee responded: “I’m not sure it would go that far, but it would be a big piece of land.”

 

He went on to say, “Israel is a land that God gave, through Abraham, to a people that he chose. It was a people, a place and a purpose.” When Carlson pressed him on whether Israel has the right to that land, Huckabee reiterated, “It would be fine if they took it all.”

 

The interview took place in Israel during a visit that drew attention after Carlson, who has a critical view of Israel, said he faced “bizarre” treatment at Ben Gurion airport. Israeli and US officials, however, said Carlson underwent standard security questioning. Huckabee later clarified on X, “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions.” The Israel Airports Authority also stated that “Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”

 

The remarks sparked strong reactions online. One user wrote, “What is built on falsehood is itself false. The Zionist entity is defying God's commands, and therefore its end will be near.” Another asked sarcastically, “You saying he is a diplomat? An ambassador?”

 

Critics dismissed Huckabee’s statements as extreme. “Utterly nonsensical claims. This guy is simply an ignorant moron, he is trying to inflate the egoes of defeated, rejected and ostracized tribe of Middle East because so and so deity tells so,” said one commentator. Others questioned his intentions: “This individual exhibits unusual behavior and seems to act in a confusing manner. Moreover, he appears to be misleading both Israel and the United States by claiming to do so in the name of the Bible, which raises concerns about his intentions.”

 

Some reactions were scathing. “Huckabee has been handled by people in Israel and he's being taught by those people,” one person wrote. Another joked, “It would be fine for Huckabee to take over a prison cell because Justice demands it. It would be fine if he stayed there for the remainder of his life.”

 

Others highlighted the risks of mixing religion and politics. “Saying ‘God gave them the land’ like it’s a real estate deed in 2026 is wild. This is how you light the whole region on fire,” one user said, while another added, “Religious beliefs are deeply personal, but turning ancient texts into modern geopolitical maps feels like a recipe for endless conflict.”

 

Carlson, who has increasingly questioned US support for Israel, is moving toward the fringe of the Make America Great Again movement, while Huckabee maintains a more traditional pro-Israel stance. Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett criticized Carlson’s airport claims, writing on X: “Next time he talks about Israel as if he’s some expert, just remember this guy is a phony!”