The remarks, aired Friday during a discussion with U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson inside Israel, prompted formal condemnations from Palestinian, Arab, and Jordanian officials who said the claims contradict international law and established U.S. policy.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Huckabee’s comments "directly violate religious and historical fact” and conflict with Washington’s stated opposition to the annexation of the West Bank. In a statement released Saturday, the ministry urged the White House to "issue a clear and explicit position” distancing itself from the ambassador’s remarks and reaffirming President Donald Trump’s previously declared stance rejecting Israeli annexation.

The Arab League also condemned the comments. Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit described Huckabee’s assertions as "extreme and fundamentally at odds with all norms of diplomacy,” according to spokesperson Jamal Rushdi. He warned that invoking religious narratives to justify territorial claims risks inflaming regional tensions at a moment when international stakeholders are working under the Peace Council framework to advance a new Gaza stabilization initiative.

In Jordan, the Foreign Ministry rejected Huckabee’s comments as "provocative and legally baseless.” Ministry spokesperson Fuad Al-Majali said the ambassador’s remarks undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza and implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803. He reiterated Jordan’s position that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, constitutes occupied Palestinian land under international law.

Huckabee, a close ally of President Donald Trump, defended his view in the interview, saying biblical texts outline land "God gave to a chosen people.” 

The United States Department of State and the White House have not yet commented on Huckabee’s remarks.