The popular conservative pundit Tucker Carlson recently interviewed U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.<\/p>\n
Carlson pressed the former Arkansas Governor on the country and the U.S. relationship with it, repeatedly leaving Huckabee flummoxed. Huckabee made many perplexing claims, but his most controversial statement came when Carlson asked him whether Israel has a biblical right to the land.<\/p>\n
Carlson asked Huckabee, who is a Baptist minister and a Christian Zionist, about a Bible verse in which God promises Abraham that his descendants will receive land \u201cfrom the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates \u2013 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,\u00a0Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,\u00a0Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlson said this basically amounted to the entire Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael is a land that God gave, through Abraham, to a people that he chose,\u201d responded Huckabee. \u201cIt was a people, a place and a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether Israel had a right to it, he responded, \u201cIt would be fine if they took it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time I am typing this, the Carlson\/Huckabee interview has been watched over 3 million times and is already causing something of an international scandal.<\/p>\n
The governments of more than a dozen countries, including allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, issued a joint statement condemning Huckabee\u2019s comments and expressing \u201cstrong concern,\u201d as his position directly contradicts official U.S. policy on annexation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministries reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty whatsoever over the Occupied Palestinian Territory or any other occupied Arab lands,\u201d explains the statement<\/a>. \u201cThey reiterated their firm rejection of any attempts to annex the West Bank or separate it from the Gaza Strip, their strong opposition to the expansion of settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and their categorical rejection of any threat to the sovereignty of Arab states.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey further warned that the continuation of Israel\u2019s expansionist policies and unlawful measures will only inflame violence and conflict in the region and undermine the prospects for peace and called for an end to these incendiary statements,\u201d it continues. \u201cThe Ministries underscored their countries\u2019 steadfast commitment to the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of their independent state along the lines of 4 June 1967, and the end of the occupation of all Arab lands.\u201d<\/p>\n The incident has forced<\/a> Trump officials, such as Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, to call Arab leaders and assure them that Huckabee was expressing his personal views and that the administration\u2019s policies have not shifted. <\/p>\n In addition to the international fallout, the interview is reverberating domestically, as it further symbolizes the growing rift over Israel within the Republican Party. A Times of Israel report<\/a> on the situation refers to the wider fight as \u201cbattle for the GOP\u2019s soul.\u201d <\/p>\n The new controversy comes just two weeks after right-wing activist Carrie Prejean Boller was ousted<\/a> from Trump\u2019s Religious Liberty Commission after criticizing Israel during a hearing.<\/p>\n AIPAC convention<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long ago that AIPAC held a massive annual conference that was broadcast on C-SPAN. Thousands gathered to watch presidential hopefuls and influential lawmakers openly pledge their support for Israel.<\/p>\n After its 2020 policy conference, AIPAC put a pause on public meetings over COVID concerns, but they never brought back the annual conference, preferring to embrace smaller meetings and video conferences.<\/p>\n Last weekend was the lobbying group\u2019s annual Congressional Summit, and the event certainly wasn\u2019t broadcast on national television. In fact, you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find any in-depth reporting on it.<\/p>\n An AIPAC source told Jewish Insider\u2019s Gabby Deutch that the meeting would focus on Iran. In her piece on the event, she notes that the organization has \u201clargely stayed silent\u201d amid its rapidly declining reputation among Democratic lawmakers and candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cThe question facing the group heading into the midterm elections is whether growing discontent with AIPAC among the party grassroots and a growing number of rank-and-file Democrats will impact its time-tested strategy of working with both parties\u2019 leadership,\u201d writes<\/a> Deutch. \u201cBut the decision by leading congressional lawmakers to attend the conference reveals that AIPAC\u2019s bipartisan playbook is still effective, even as it shows signs of strain.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s true that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R\u2011LA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D\u2011NY), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries attended the event, but will AIPAC\u2019s overall election strategy prove effective?<\/p>\n Earlier this month, their attacks on centrist Tom Malinowski in New Jersey\u2019s 11th district Democratic primary probably helped<\/a> Analilia Mejia, the most pro-Palestine candidate in the race, prevail. Now they\u2019re reportedly<\/a> intervening in the Illinois 9th district, to target Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, a move that could propel Palestine advocate Kat Abughazaleh<\/a> to victory.<\/p>\n Rep.\u00a0Jan Schakowsky\u00a0(D-IL), who currently represents that district, just pulled<\/a> her endorsement of Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in Illinois\u2019 2nd district over AIPAC donations.<\/p>\n \u201cIllinois deserves leaders who put voters first, not AIPAC or out-of-state Trump donors,\u201d said Schakowsky. \u201cI cannot support any candidate running for Congress who is funded by these outside interests.\u201d<\/p>\n Odds & Ends<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1 Francesca Albanese is a powerful voice for justice, which is why the Israel lobby is trying to silence her<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\uddc3\ufe0f How data on the crackdown on Gaza protests reflects the increasing repression of activist movements in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2020 Pope Leo rejects Trump invitation to join Gaza \u2018Board of Peace\u2019\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Responsible Statecraft: What if today\u2019s Iran is resigned to a long, hellish war with the US?<\/a><\/p>\n \u274c Counterpunch: Trump\u2019s Iran Gambit: Deception and Dangerous End Games<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb0 Zeteo: AIPAC Lobbies Against a Bill to Ensure Israel Complies With the Ceasefire<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\udd11 IMEU: Trump\u2019s Corporate Takeover of Gaza Denies Palestinian Self-Determination<\/a><\/p>\n \u26be Palestinian BDS National Committee: Palestinians Call to Exclude Genocidal Israel from Baseball<\/a><\/p>\n \u26c3 Financial Times: Donald Trump\u2019s \u2018Board of Peace\u2019 explores stablecoin for Gaza<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\udecf New York Magazine: The Democratic Party\u2019s Breakup With AIPAC Is Almost Complete<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 Politico: House Democrat withdraws endorsement in Chicago-area race over AIPAC funding<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf7 Drop Site News: Trump Privately Dreams of Iran Regime Change Glory as Democrats Cynically Weigh Political Benefits of War<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f Al Jazeera: US Department of Justice sues UCLA over anti-Semitism allegations<\/a>
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