Senior Trump administration officials have contacted several Arab governments in recent days to clarify that comments by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting Israel has a right to control much of the Middle East do not reflect a shift in U.S. policy, Politico reports. 

Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker were among officials who told concerned countries that Huckabee’s remarks in a podcast interview with Tucker Carlson represented his personal views, according to three people familiar with the outreach. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Huckabee’s comments drew condemnation from more than a dozen governments, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, which called them “dangerous and inflammatory.” The controversy comes as President Donald Trump seeks Arab support for plans involving Gaza and amid broader regional tensions. Huckabee later described his remarks as “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”

Read more at Politico.