Israel opposition leader backs ‘biblical borders’ and Jewish control over Middle East

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has doubled down on controversial comments by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who recently said “it would be fine” if Israel took control over much of the Middle East.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Lapid said he supports the idea of expansive Israeli territorial control, framing his position in Zionist and biblical terms. 

“I support anything that will allow the Jews a large, broad, strong land and a safe haven for us – our children and our children’s children. I support that,” Lapid is reported saying.

 “Zionism is based on the Bible. Our mandate over the land of Israel is biblical, [and] the biblical borders of the land of Israel are clear… Therefore, the borders are the borders of the Bible,” added Lapid.

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Lapid said that “Israeli security and policy considerations” could complicate such expansion, though he did not elaborate on what those constraints might be.

Warning of the broad support for the greater Israel project Mustafa Barghouti said: “Israel’s so-called “liberal” opposition leader — told a press conference that “Zionism is based on the bible” and the biblical borders are “clear.” When asked if that means land all the way to Iraq: “Fundamentally, the great, big and vast Israel, as much as possible.”

Yair Lapid — Israel’s so-called “liberal” opposition leader — told a press conference that “Zionism is based on the bible” and the biblical borders are “clear.” When asked if that means land all the way to Iraq: “Fundamentally, the great, big and vast Israel, as much as… pic.twitter.com/ZCb1Ov17Ui

— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) February 25, 2026

Lapid’s comments come days after Huckabee, a self-professed Christian Zionist and staunch supporter of Israel, made similar remarks in an interview with Tucker Carlson. 

Asked about the biblical promise of land stretching from the Euphrates River in Iraq to the Nile River in Egypt, and whether the modern Israeli state has the right to claim that lineage, Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”

Such territory would encompass modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and parts of Saudi Arabia.

Huckabee’s remarks prompted widespread condemnation across the region. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry described the comments as “extremist rhetoric” and “unacceptable,” and called on the US to clarify its official position.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy later said Huckabee’s remarks had been taken out of context and insisted there had been no change in official US policy towards Israel.

Pro-Israel commentators initially sought to dismiss Huckabee’s statement as a fringe opinion not reflective of mainstream Israeli politics. However, Lapid’s public endorsement of expansionist ideas signals that such views are not confined to the political margins but are echoed by senior figures within Israel.

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