Muscat: The Foreign Ministry expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the statements issued by the United States Ambassador to Israel, which entail an illegitimate acceptance of imposing control over Arab territories, including the occupied Palestinian territory.
In a statement, it affirmed its categorical rejection of such statements that violate international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as the consequences of undermining opportunities for peace and threatening the security and stability of the region.
The Foreign Ministry renewed the Sultanate of Oman's steadfast position in support of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, the establishment of their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the end of the occupation of all Arab territories.
Mike Huckabee
Other Arab and Islamic countries issued a joint condemnation on Sunday of remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who suggested Israel had a biblical right to a vast swath of the Middle East. Huckabee was speaking on the podcast of Israel critic Tucker Carlson.
In an episode released on Friday, Carlson pressed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as stating 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." The backlash widened sharply on Sunday as more than a dozen Arab and Islamic governments -- alongside three major regional organisations -- issued a joint statement denouncing the US diplomat's comments as "dangerous and inflammatory".
The statement, released by the United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry, was signed by the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and the State of Palestine, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab Leagu,e and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
They said the comments contravene the UN Charter and efforts to de-escalate the Gaza war and advance a political horizon for a comprehensive settlement. Iran joined the chorus with its foreign ministry accusing Huckabee on X of revealing "American active complicity" in what it called Israel's "expansionist wars of aggression" against Palestinians.
Earlier, several states had issued unilateral condemnations. Saudi Arabia described the ambassador's words as "reckless" and "irresponsible", while Jordan said it was "an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region". Kuwait decried what it called a "flagrant violation of the principles of international law", while Oman said the comments "threatened the prospects for peace" and stability in the region.
Egypt's foreign ministry reaffirmed "that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands". The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee's words "contradict US President Donald Trump's rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank".
On Saturday, Huckabee published two posts on X further clarifying his position on other topics touched upon in the interview, but did not address his remark about the biblical verse.
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