U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee It said Israel “could” control territory from the Nile to the Euphrates in a tense confrontation with Israel. Tucker Carlson The host grilled him on his biblical “justification” for the country’s territory.
talking about Tucker Carlson Show Huckabee was pressed repeatedly on Friday about his reference to the biblical boundaries divinely promised to the Jewish people, as the host asked him specifically “which land” he was referring to, noting that the biblical boundaries in Genesis were larger than the boundaries of modern Israel.
Such borders are mentioned in the expansionist idea of ”Greater Israel,” an ambition considered by some to encompass the lands of several modern states, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and parts of Iraq, as well as the Palestinian territories.
Halfway through the interview, Huckabee accused Carlson of changing the subject away from Christian Zionism, with the host saying: “You’ve said three times that God gave this land to this people, so it’s totally fair for me to ask you which land you’re talking about because I just read Genesis 15, and I’ve read it many times, and I think it talks about the land from the Nile to the Euphrates, which again is basically the entire Middle East.”
He continued: “So God gave that land to his people, the Jews, or he didn’t. You say he did. What does that mean? Did Israel have a right to that land? Because you’re appealing to Genesis.”
“You mean this is the original contract?” he asked.
Huckabee paused and replied, “It would be nice if they took them all.”
He quickly added, “But I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about today.”
Carlson retorted: “What about that? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today. Do you think it would be great if the state of Israel took over all of Jordan—”
“They don’t want to accept it,” Huckabee interjected. “They’re not asking to take it over.”
Carlson doubled down, “But you say part of the reason Israel is legitimate and has this inherent right to exist is because God gave it to his people. I would look at the same Bible you mentioned and note that it was a large land. So, if God gave them that land, then by your definition they now have the right to take it. Unless I’m missing something.”
“I think you’re missing something because they’re not asking to go back and take all of that, but they’re asking to at least take the land that they occupy now, that they now live on, that they now legally own, which is a safe haven for them,” Huckabee responded.
“Well, can I ask, because you’re appealing and you’re explaining what Christian Zionism is and your theological beliefs, you think you just said that if the state of Israel occupied all of Syria, all of Lebanon, you would be fine,” Carlson said.
“That’s not what I meant,” Huckabee clarified.
“I’m asking, is this what you said? I thought that’s what you just said,” Carlson pressed.
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, if you think that’s what we’re talking about, but that’s not the case,” the envoy said. “We’re talking about Israel, the land where the State of Israel now lives, and hope for peace in it.”
He added, “They’re not trying to take over Jordan. They’re not trying to take over Syria. They’re not trying to take over Iraq or anywhere else, but they do want to protect their people.”
Carlson reiterated Huckabee’s insistence that, as a Christian Zionist, he agrees with many communities in Israel that “the justification for this state is theological,” noting only that “the contract includes a land that is much larger than the current nation-state.”
“You could be a greater Zionist than the Jews living in Israel,” Huckabee scoffed.
“I’m trying to understand the geopolitical implications of your theology because you say the current Israeli government has the moral right to take over a country that now belongs to other peoples,” the host continued.
“No, I didn’t say that, Tucker,” Huckabee replied.
“Then what did you say?” Carlson asked.
The envoy responded: “I’m just saying that I think the people living in Israel have the right to be safe, to have security. They have the right to live in this land that they have been connected to for 3,800 years.”
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