Doha. A new controversy has arisen in the Middle East over a statement by the American Ambassador. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said about the countries of the Middle East that if Israel wants, it can capture them all. After this comment, 14 Arab and Islamic countries have issued a joint statement strongly condemning it. This statement came during an interview. In which the ambassador was asked whether modern Israel could have a claim on the territory that extends from the Euphrates River in Iraq to the Nile River in Egypt. To this Huckabee replied, it would be right even if they take it all, that is, if Israel captures the area, it would be right.
According to media reports, in a joint statement issued from Doha on Saturday night, the foreign ministries of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine described these comments as dangerous and provocative. Besides, the secretariats of Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation also objected to this. The joint statement said that such things indicate that Israel may get the right to occupy the land of Arab countries, including the occupied West Bank. The signatory countries clearly stated that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories or any other Arab lands.
The statement also said that such comments are a clear violation of the principles of international law and the UN Charter and pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the region, according to the report. The area referred to in the interview included parts of present-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
According to the report, when the controversy escalated, US Ambassador Huckabee called his statement a bit of an exaggeration and said that Israel is not expanding its existing borders, but it has the right to security within its current land. However, his statement was widely criticized and many people on social media also linked this statement to Israel’s Greater Israel Plan. Despite this, Arab and Islamic countries demanded an immediate stop to such provocative statements and warned that words that legitimize control over others’ lands promote tension and violence, not peace.
