Senior officials in the Trump administration have reached out to several Arab governments to ease tensions בעקבות remarks by United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting it would be 'fine if it took it all' when asked about Israel’s biblical claim to land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates. Officials said the comments reflected Huckabee’s personal views and did not signal any shift in United States policy.

The controversy began during an interview in which Huckabee responded to a question about biblical borders. Although he later described his statement as 'somewhat of a hyperbolic statement' and said Israel was not seeking broader territorial expansion, critics said the remarks implied support for Israeli control over territory belonging to Arab states, including the West Bank.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other countries across the Middle East and beyond issued strong condemnations, calling the comments dangerous and a violation of international law and state sovereignty. A broad coalition of regional governments released a joint statement expressing deep concern.

The episode comes at a sensitive time as the Trump administration seeks Arab cooperation on stabilizing and rebuilding Gaza and maintaining regional unity amid tensions with Iran. The United States Embassy in Jerusalem said the ambassador’s remarks were taken out of context.