NEW YORK (VINnews) — In recent days, the Trump administration has been forced to engage in diplomatic damage control following remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who allegedly claimed that Israel has the right to rule over large parts of the Middle East, according to a report in Politico.

Senior American officials reached out directly to a number of Arab states to clarify that this was Huckabee’s personal position and did not represent any change in official White House policy.

According to the report, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, and other senior officials held talks with concerned Arab counterparts, stressing that the statement made during Huckabee’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program reflected only the ambassador’s personal views. Three sources familiar with the matter said Washington sought to calm tensions and make clear that there had been no deviation from President Donald Trump’s policy line.

The controversial remarks were made during a charged interview conducted by conservative media figure Tucker Carlson with Huckabee, an interview that triggered a wave of condemnations across the Arab and Muslim world. One key moment focused on the issue of the Jews’ “divine right” to Israel. Carlson cited a verse from Genesis describing the promise “from the Nile to the Euphrates,” and asked whether this implied that Israel has a theological right to take over Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Huckabee initially replied that “it would have been fine if they took it all,” but immediately clarified that this was “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement,” adding that Israel is not seeking to take over other countries but rather “to live securely in a land to which it has a 3,800-year connection.” When asked explicitly whether such a move would be legitimate today, he said: “I’m not sure it would be legitimate.” The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem later stated that the remarks were “taken out of context,” while Huckabee himself criticized the media coverage on X.

Despite this, the comments drew sharp condemnation from more than a dozen Arab countries in a joint statement, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, which described the remarks as “dangerous and inflammatory.” The sensitivity is particularly high given the administration’s efforts to rally Arab and Muslim countries behind a broader plan to stabilize and rebuild Gaza. At the same time, Trump would need cooperation from countries such as Qatar and Jordan, which host American military facilities, should he follow through on threats to strike Iran.

The backdrop to the controversy also includes Trump’s declared policy, under which he reportedly assured Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow the annexation of Judea and Samaria. A senior Gulf diplomat argued that the remarks could undermine one of the administration’s central goals: integrating Israel into the Middle East. “The sovereignty of Arab states is not something to be taken lightly, especially when we are trying to build a unified Middle East that includes Israel,” he said. Another State Department official added that Huckabee “does not represent our views and does not represent the best version of the pro-Israel position.”