Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry rejects ‘reckless’ statement made by US envoy to Israel

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned and completely rejected a statement made by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee for “recklessly” suggesting Israel a had a biblical right to a vast swath of the Middle East.

“The Kingdom affirms its categorical rejection of these irresponsible remarks, which constitute a violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and established diplomatic norms,” the ministry said. “Such statements set a dangerous precedent, particularly as they were issued by a US official, and reflect a disregard for the distinguished relations between the countries of the region and the United States of America.”

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The foreign ministry said that the US State Department should clarify its position regarding this rhetoric.

Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and a fervent Israel supporter, was speaking on the podcast of far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson.

In an episode released Friday, Carlson pushed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as saying that Israel is entitled to the land between the river Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq.

In response, Huckabee said: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
When pressed, however, he continued that Israel was “not asking to take all of that,” adding: “It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”

“This extremist rhetoric portends grave consequences and threatens international peace and security by antagonizing the countries and peoples of the region and undermining the foundations of the international order—an order collectively established by nations to put an end to devastating wars that claimed millions of lives and that upholds respect for the geographical borders of states and their sovereignty over their territories,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in its statement.

The Kingdom, the ministry added, stressed that the only path toward a just and comprehensive peace is ending the Israeli occupation based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

With AFP

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