February 23, 2026 | Monday
Tags: mike-huckabee, jd-vance, tucker-carlson, donald-trump
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee endorses biblical claims to vast Middle East territories from the Nile to Euphrates in a Tucker Carlson interview, sparking backlash from Arab nations. The US deploys half its air power to the Middle East for potential strikes on Iran over its nuclear program, amid criticism of neglected domestic immigration enforcement.
Mike Huckabee, United States Ambassador to Israel, appeared in an interview with Tucker Carlson that aired on Friday, prompting swift condemnations from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the League of Arab States. Huckabee endorsed Israel’s biblical claim to land from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq, encompassing modern Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, all of Jordan, most of Lebanon, parts of Syria, western Iraq, southern Saudi Arabia, and the Sinai Peninsula. Pressed by Carlson on Genesis 15:18, Huckabee stated, “It would be fine if they took it all,” before adding that Israel currently seeks only security within its recognized borders. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry labeled the remarks “extremist and unacceptable,” while Egypt’s Foreign Ministry deemed them a “blatant violation of international law,” asserting no Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian territories or other Arab lands. The interview clip circulated rapidly, with Politico reporting the backlash within hours, marking a rare public US endorsement of Revisionist Zionist territorial maximalism.
This exchange crystallized the ideological foundation of Israel’s statehood claims, tracing them not solely to 1947 UN Resolution 181 or the 1949 Armistice Agreements but to Old Testament covenants promising Abraham’s descendants dominion over a vast swath of the Middle East. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, invoked both international law—citing the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and San Remo Conference of 1920—and divine mandate, positioning modern Israel as heir to biblical Israel. Carlson countered by noting Israel’s frequent violations of international law, including settlements in the West Bank deemed illegal by UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in 2016, and the 1981 annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights, condemned by UN Resolution 497. Huckabee’s partial retraction—that Israel is “not looking to expand”—clashed with ongoing actions: Israel seized 23 square kilometers of West Bank land for settlements in 2024 alone, per Peace Now data, and advanced into southern Syria post-Assad regime collapse in December 2024, bombing Damascus suburbs and occupying Druze areas.
Huckabee’s position aligns with Revisionist Zionism, articulated by Ze’ev Jabotinsky in 1923, which demands control west and east of the Jordan River, influencing Israel’s Likud Party founders like Menachem Begin, who ordered the 1982 Lebanon invasion. Current ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, holding National Security and Finance portfolios, display maps depicting Greater Israel in speeches, advocating annexation of the West Bank—referred to by Huckabee as Judea and Samaria. This framework justifies policies like Netanyahu’s 2023 declaration of Palestinians as “Amalek,” invoking Deuteronomy 25:19’s command to eradicate enemies, amid 45,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza since October 2023 per Gaza Health Ministry figures. US support, via $3.8 billion annual aid under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding, now risks entanglement in regional hegemony pursuits, contradicting American interests in Middle East stability for oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz (21% of global supply) and Suez Canal.
The United States deployed 45-50% of its deployable air power to the Middle East by early 2025, including two carrier strike groups, 13 missile destroyers, B-2 bombers, refueling tankers, and THAAD/Patriot systems, signaling preparation for strikes on Iran. Wall Street Journal and New York Times reports on Thursday detailed Trump’s consideration of a limited initial strike to force nuclear capitulation, escalating to weeks-long bombardment of missile sites, air defenses, and leadership if unsuccessful. Trump publicly denied nuances on Friday, insisting on total enrichment forfeiture or war, rejecting 2015 JCPOA terms allowing low-level enrichment. Iran’s response via Omani channels, due within 24 hours as of Monday, offers at most half its highly enriched uranium stockpile and temporary reductions, clashing with Washington’s zero-enrichment redline. US pulled troops from Syria and Iraq amid this buildup, with Trump expressing frustration over limited strike capacity against Iran’s 1 million Revolutionary Guard and 90 million population.
Domestic contrasts expose misplaced priorities: 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents deployed to Minneapolis in January 2025 deported 4,000 undocumented Somalis but withdrew after resistance from Mayor Jacob Frey, Governor Tim Walz, and protests, leaving 90,000 Somalis—many on TPS—dominant in city politics alongside Antifa agitators. Similar failures marked Chicago under Mayor Brandon Johnson, with riots at Broadview detention center forcing National Guard pullback after deploying mere hundreds, versus sustained 300 in 2020 Floyd unrest. Los Angeles riots saw ICE surrender to autonomous zones barricaded by garbage cans. Trump abandoned mass deportations after one year, limiting to criminals despite 2024 promises, while cities like New York under socialist influences reject fare enforcement and harbor homeless networks vetoing immigration law.
This allocation—half the air force for Iranian regime change benefiting Israel, versus inability to secure Minneapolis (population 430,000) from 90,000 deportable Somalis—undermines America First tenets. Post-2016 elections in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 prioritized borders and law/order, yet illegal crossings hit 2.5 million in FY2024 per CBP, exceeding 2016 levels, with no wall completion. Democrats deliver for voters—loan forgiveness ($400 billion proposed), chain migration expansions—while Republicans excuse inaction citing judges and protesters. GOP midterms in 2026 demand voter abstention to annihilate majorities, forcing party regime change by 2028, as sustained failures in Chicago (gang violence up 20% post-2020), New York, and California persist despite military feats like Maduro kidnapping or Fordo bunker strikes. Prioritizing Iran over Springfield Haitians, Houston Venezuelans, and Mexican cartels forfeits domestic sovereignty.