An uncomfortable amount of the Arab world is actively trying to murder us. An uncomfortable amount of the Western world is actively cheering them on. In a world like that, it's nice to know that someone has got your back.
That’s why so many Israelis, myself included, like Mike. In the few months since he assumed the position of ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee proven himself a staunch and stalwart supporter of the Jewish State. In America, he has lashed out at the rising tide of antisemitism that every day makes American Jews increasingly in danger. In Washington, He’s fought against members of the US government who would see US support for Israel undermined of even eliminated. On the world stage, he has continually fought for Israel’s right to exist and unequivocally condemned Israel’s enemies.
His support has been especially appreciated in the insanity of the last few weeks. While major media outlets ran front page stories all houting the now completely debunked lie that Israel was starving Gaza, Mike Huckabee took an active lead in proving just how slanderous these modern-day blood libels were.
Along with special envoy Steve Witkoff, Ambassador Huckabee visited Gaza to inspect the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid distribution sites. He spoke to both IDF soldiers and the Gazans themselves. He then went on TV and publicly shared his findings, stating that the criticism Israel has faced for the shortage of humanitarian aid in Gaza was entirely unjustified. He went further, condemning the countries that condemned Israel, stating, "The hypocrisy is glaring.” He blasted claims that Israel was committing acts of genocide, “absurd.”
Mike Huckabee made sure the world knew he had Israel’s back, even while the world was trying to stab Israel it. "If Israel is committing genocide, then it is really bad at it. Israel is acting well to protect civilians and prevent collateral damage. There is no country in the world, including the US, that takes steps like Israel to reduce harm to civilians. The media deserves our condemnation."
All things considered, he’s more than proven his bona fides. T
But there were other actions that showed he must be more careful to get trustworthy information before reacting.
Huckabee took a tour of the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh in the so-called “West Bank” several weeks ago. His purpose in the trip was to visit the site of an alleged arson attack the week before, next to the ruins of the Church of St. George in the town. Senior church leaders claimed that it was Israelis who committed the act of arson at their holy site, presumably to burn it down. They further claimed that Israeli leaders were aware of the attack, and were willfully neglecting to take action against the perpetrators.
After seeing the site of the arson, Huckabee posted on X that “Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity and God.” He later posted that “I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime, I will demand those responsible be held accountable w/ real consequences.”
He also appeared to take umbrage with what he felt to be Israel’s lack of a proper response, writing that “We will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh - or anywhere - be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that’s not enough. People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs, not just to other people, but that which belongs to God. That is a sacrilege. It’s against the Holy.”
He did not condemn Israel, or even mention the country by name. But by responding to accusations against Israel the way he did, he gave the appearance that he gave the accusations some credence.
At least that’s what the world media understood. They jumped on his statements as a full-on condemnation of Israel. Countless news organizations published articles citing that a rift had developed between Huckabee and the Jewish State.
Then, as always, the truth came out.
An independent investigation by the Press Service of Israel (TPS) revealed that claims of Jewish extremists being responsible for the attack were most wrong. The investigation found no evidence to identify the perpetrators of the fire. The Taybeh municipality had previously released a video that is alleged to have shown the "settlers" setting fire to the church. Instead, when reviewed by TPS, the footage actually showed young Jewish men from a nearby farm running towards the fire with fire extinguishing equipment and reflective vests, and attempting to put out the flames. Footage of the alleged Jewish arsonists turned out to be a young man with a compressed air blower, a tool used to help control and extinguish brush fires.
Instead of burning down the church, it seems that it was Jews who heroically risked their lives to stop the fire, which never reached the church due to their efforts—quite a different story.
What's more, the main witness to this crime, an Arab shepherd who was tending his flock in a nearby field, says that he saw several Palestinian Arabs fleeing the burning church site, before screaming and throwing objects at him.
After the results of the investigation were announced Huckabee issued a clarification post on X that "Investigation reveals no damage to ancient church in Taybeh & investigation of origin of fire continues. I have NOT attributed the cause of fire to any person or group as we don't know for sure. The press has. I have said that regardless, it was crime & deserves consequences."
What he said is perfectly true. He never singled out Israel for blame. Yet he could clearly see the results of his statement in the days that followed. No matter what his intention, his words were interpreted as a condemnation of Israel and were presented as such. His comments hardly helped to undo the damage done.
Many questioned why he did'nt wait before issueing a statement. Israelis were left wondering why he was rushing to issue a response before the facts were all in, as well as who he was directing his message to and just who it was he was speaking for.
The impression among many was that it would seem that even Israel’s greatest allies are not immune to believing blatant antisemitic propaganda. Considering how much mutual goodwill is imperative going forward, this is a situation that needs to be quickly rectified for the sake of both parties involved.
But that's not all that has upset Huckabee. In the same week, Huckabee sent an angry letter to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel. In the letter, Huckabee complained that certain American Chistain evangelical groups were having an increasingly difficult time in obtaining visas to Israel, writing “As of the beginning of 2025, the Visa Department arbitrarily ceased honoring the recommendations of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and has initiated an independent investigation into each of the Evangelical organizations to ascertain whether or not they should be recognized as Religious Institutions and continue receiving visas. This includes many historic organizations such as the Baptist Convention of Israel, Christian Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God, etc., some of whom have been active here since before 1948. The vast majority of them have headquarters in the United States. They have all been required to fill out extensive questionnaires regarding their religious beliefs, their activities, their assets in Israel, etc. And to the best of my knowledge, none of them have received new A3 Clergy Visas since the beginning of the year, as they are all ‘under investigation.”
He added that “No specific explanation was given for this decision, and it has caused some major difficulties.”
It’s unclear why in response to the changes Huckabee chose to seemingly threaten the Jewish state he claims to be the greatest friend of, responding in Mafia-like language that if Israel did not reverse its policy, “It would be very unfortunate that our Embassy would have to publicly announce throughout the United States that the State of Israel is no longer welcoming Christian organizations and their representatives and is instead engaging in harassment and negative treatment toward organizations with long-standing relationships and positive involvement toward Zionism and friendship to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”
“We would further be obligated to warn Christians in America that their generous contributions to organizations to promote goodwill in Israel are being met with hostility and that tourists should reconsider travel until this situation is resolved with clarity,” he writes, adding that he would “have no other choice than to instruct our Consular Section to review options for reciprocal treatment of Israeli citizens seeking visas to the United States.”
“Surely this is NOT the relationship the State of Israel wishes to have with its best partner and friend on the planet.”
Huckabee once more seemed to forget how such comments would play out on the world stage. Indeed, following his remarks a flood of headlines latched on the supposed falling out between Israel and the United States. His words were also very poorly received in Israel itself.
The impression among Israelis was that friends can disagree, that’s natural enough. But when friends don’t see eye to eye, they try to work the issue out. They don’t threaten each other, which is how Israelis felt when they heard his statements.
Arbel, a member of the also-religious Shas party summed up the sentiment, responding that he was “particularly surprised” by how the ambassador was treating their relationship. In a public letter, he answered Huckabee that, “Every request that was personally brought to the attention of my office has been addressed within an exceptionally short time frame. In my view, this course of action deviates from accepted working norms and does not reflect the direct and constructive relationship we have established. “
“I greatly appreciate your consistent support for Israel and your steadfast commitment to our partnership. For this reason, I believe it is incumbent upon us to act in a spirit of coordination, mutual trust, and respect — even when misunderstandings or difficulties arise.”
He added that the relationship between Israel and the United States is “among the most valued and significant partnerships.” That’s how real friends communicate.
Mike Huckabee is one of the truest friends Israel has ever had. He’s also the perfect example of why Israel needs to be very very careful in choosing who its friends are. He might be Israel’s friend, but his true loyalties lie elsewhere.
It’s not surprising, and what’s more, it’s completely understandable. Huckabee is a lifelong evangelical, is a Baptist minister, and has spent his entire adult life spreading evangelical interest in America and abroad. They’re his people, and it’s only natural that he would act in what he feels is the best interest of his own people, even when it comes at the expense of chastising Israel.
Israel has sound reasons for being wary of Christian evangelical groups like the ones who were denied visas. They have a long, shameful history of using their alleged friendship to engage in covert missionary activities. There has been an ongoing pattern in Israel of groups claiming to be Israel’s closest allies but who then use this closeness to attempt to proselytize to a community that has warmly let them in.
Huckabee did not mention these concerns or to attribute any logical reason for Israel’s refusal., but his intimidations worked. Within days, after meeting with the Interior Minister and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Huckabee wrote on X that “I am delighted to report that the issue has been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction and the strong support that Israel enjoys from American evangelicals will continue.”
The optics in Israel were not good. Many Israels interpreted his comments as a veiled threat. They perceived their closest ally telling them almost like a mobster would “It’s a nice little country you got here. It’d be a shame if something were to happen to it.”
The impression is that it would seem that the ambassador and Israel enjoy a friendship that only works when the ambassador gets his own way in case of dispute.
Any therapist will tell you that this is not a healthy dynamic. Since the US-Israel bond is one of the most important to the Jewish state, it’s of the utmost importance that everything be clarified. There are still these serious underlying issues that need to be addressed. Communication is after all, the key to a good relationship.
Still, Huckabee is not doing anything surprising. He’s acting in his own best interests and the interests of the constituents he serves. .
So many Israelis still believe that evangelicals love us for ourselves. Some undoubtedly do, but Ambassador Huckabee has shown not only that their love can quickly fade with the smallest rumor, but that the love itself has aspects that are transactional in nature. =
This isn’t a good thing or a bad thing. It’s simply the reality of the situation. And it’s a reality that we in Israel quickly need to accept. Our supporters’ help isn’t free and, in every interaction, we have to decide if the benefit is worth the potential cost.
American Evangelicals might be our allies, but they seem to have shown time and again that they do not want to be our friends. They have an agenda, and our bond lasts so long as we fit into that agenda.
It’s no doubt painful for many to realize that the people we thought cared about us seem to only care when it’s in their best interests to do so. But forewarned is forearmed. Going forward, Israel can look clearly at each situation and make an informed decision.
Huckabee might support Israel, but his first and foremost loyalty will always be to his own people. Perhaps we in Israel would do well to learn from his example. However much we might welcome outside support, our first and only loyalty should be to ourselves.
Ilan Goodman is a museum collections professional and exhibition curator. He also serves as a rabbi and educator. He made Aliyah to Israel in 2011 and lives with his wife and children in Beit Shemesh.