Foreign ministers from 13 states reject proposal by US envoy that Israel should control territory from the Nile to the Euphrates
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and 13 other Muslim-majority countries have strongly condemned remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting he would not oppose Israel taking control of large parts of the Middle East, calling the comments a flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional stability.
According to a statement shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, together with the secretariats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council, expressed concern and concern for and the Gulf Cooperation Council. envoy’s remarks.
In an interview with commentator Tucker Carlson, Huckabee argued that Israel has a biblical right to land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates River, saying “it would be fine if they took it all,” after a reference to territory between Iraq’s Euphrates and Egypt’s Nile.
The foreign ministers said such statements constitute “a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the UN Charter” and pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.
The joint statement stressed that the remarks directly contradict the vision set forth by US President Donald Trump and the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, which they said is aimed at limiting escalation and creating a political path towards a solution that guarantees the Palestinians an independent state.
They emphasized that Israel “has no sovereignty whatsoever over the occupied Palestinian territory or other occupied Arab countries” and firmly rejected any attempt to annex the West Bank or separate it from Gaza.
Separately, Saudi Arabia condemned what it described as “reckless remarks” that violate diplomatic norms and threaten international peace, while Kuwait said the comments undermine sovereignty and contradict Washington’s stated vision.
Oman called the remarks illegitimate and harmful to regional stability, Jordan called them “absurd and provocative”, Egypt described them as a “flagrant deviation” from international law, and Iraq said they constitute a serious transgression that violates state sovereignty. The OIC labeled the remarks “dangerous and irresponsible” and warned that they were based on a false and rejected narrative.
