Expert Slams Huckabee’s Remarks on Israel’s Right to The Middle East

Military strategic expert Nidal Abu Zeid has stated that the remarks of US Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Mike Huckabee, regarding what he termed as “Israel’s right to control the Middle East, including Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan” is a biblical inference that intersects with an expansionist political agenda. He added these remarks are inseparable from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous statements on the Arabic-language channel i24NEWS about the “Greater Israel” project.

Abu Zeid told Jordan 24 that this approach also aligns with statements made by US President Donald Trump at the beginning of his term, when he referred to Israel as “small in a vast geographical area.” He believes that the convergence of these positions indicates a tacit US approval for Israeli expansionist ambitions at the expense of the neighboring countries.

He noted Huckabee’s remarks came during a meeting with American journalist Tucker Carlson, following a debate between them on social media. This debate culminated in an agreement to engage in a public media confrontation, which sparked widespread controversy in Arab circles and official condemnation from Jordan, Egypt, and several other Arab states.

Abu Zeid explained that the occupation, according to his analysis, seeks to impose a fait accompli policy starting from Ras al-Naqoura in Lebanon, passing through Mount Hermon and southwestern Syria, and reaching the West Bank, relying on a set of settlement laws aimed at consolidating control over the land.

In this context, Abu Zeid recalled the story of the late Abdul Razzaq al-Rahahleh, a native of Salt, who served as the Director of Jerusalem Lands in 1967. After the occupation seized the West Bank, he managed to preserve the land documents for the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and hand them over to the Jordanian authorities at the time, which later contributed to establishing Palestinian ownership of the neighborhood’s land.

Abu Zeid concluded by saying that between Huckabee’s statements and the documents of the Salt native, the legal and historical truth remains: The land belongs to its rightful owners, and documented rights do not expire with time nor can they be nullified by political pronouncements. He asked: “How can someone who does not own the land give away what he does not deserve?”