U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee waded into Middle East politics by declaring the West Bank to be part of Israel. He also stated that he stands by his recent statement that Obama is "marching Israelis to the door of the oven."

The former Arkansas governor made the remarks Tuesday while visiting the West Bank settlement of Shilo, telling reporters that "if you're going to visit Israel you should visit all of Israel, and that would include Judea and Samaria," the biblical names for the West Bank. His comments are at odds with U.S policy.

Huckabee, who has visited West Bank settlements in the past, is visiting Israel as part of his fundraising campaign. He was visiting Shilo as a guest of the Binyamin Regional Council and is scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday at the Waldof Astoria in Jerusalem.

When asked about his recent remarks that by signing a nuclear agreement with Iran, Obama was "marching Israelis to the door of the oven," the GOP candidate said these are the words of the Iranian regime and that, as an American citizen, he is worried about the fact that Iran is making the same threat against the United States. The only thing he regrets, Huckabee said, was that the U.S. was making a deal with a "terrorist state."

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians demand the area along with Gaza and east Jerusalem for their future state. The fate of West Bank settlements is one of the core issues at the heart of the conflict.