Why it matters:
The comments come against the backdrop of seven decades of Israeli territorial expansion since the establishment of the state in 1948. This longstanding dynamic has recently been underscored by Israeli legislation formalizing control over land in the West Bank, further entrenching a reality on the ground that critics argue undermines the viability of so-called a two-state solution and fuels regional instability.
The big picture:
In his recent statements, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, postulated that ‘It would be fine' if Israel 'took it all,’ and expanded its control from the Nile River to the Euphrates River.
Israel had a biblical right to a vast swath of the Middle East, the ambassador added speaking to the podcaster Tucker Carlson.
What they're saying:
- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei issued a sharp rebuke on Saturday against recent statements made by Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, regarding the expansion of Israeli territory.
- In a post on social media, Baghaei characterized Huckabee's remarks as a "bold testament to American active complicity in Israeli regime's expansionist wars of aggression as well as its colonial genocide of Palestinians."
- He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran, in coordination with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), condemns "such extremist ideological rhetoric," arguing that it serves to further embolden the Israeli regime to persist in what Tehran describes as atrocity crimes and illegal measures against Palestinians and constant aggression against neighboring nations.
- The statements of the U.S. ambassador to the occupied territories have been met with widespread reactions around the world.
- Arab and Islamic countries also issued a joint statement condemning the US ambassador's statements.
Go deeper:
UN Rapporteur Warns Israel’s West Bank Land Grab Will Cement Annexation
Hossein Amiri - Mahboubeh Habibi
