JERUSALEM, — US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee emphasized over the weekend that relations between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain robust, despite speculation of strain following Trump’s decision to exclude Israel from his upcoming Middle East tour.
In a series of interviews aired on Israeli television Saturday, Huckabee sought to allay concerns raised by the president’s travel plans, which include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, but not Israel.
“His first trip is about economic opportunity. That’s where his focus is,” Huckabee told Channel 12. “What he’s doing is not because he’s snubbing Israel. There are 200 nations in the world, almost, so there are a lot of them he hasn’t gone to yet, a lot of them he isn’t going to right away — he’s spent more time with the prime minister of Israel than he has any other world leader. I think that says a lot.”
Responding to criticism, Huckabee urged Israelis not to read too much into the itinerary. “I would just say to people, ‘Relax, calm down, Donald Trump loves you, there’s no doubt about that, he’s got your back,’” he said. “He is the same Donald Trump that, for four years as president, did more for Israel than any other American president.”
In an interview with i24 News, Trump echoed Huckabee’s reassurance, stating, “Netanyahu has spent more time with Donald Trump in the last three months than I have.”
Appearing on Channel 13, Huckabee expressed confidence that Trump would visit Israel later in the year and reiterated the strong personal and political rapport between the two leaders. “Trump and Netanyahu have an outstanding relationship,” he said, adding, “America understands that we don’t have a bigger ally than Israel.”
When asked by Kan about controversial Israeli proposals to expand settlements into Gaza, Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, clarified his role. “I certainly have strong opinions... but my job is to serve the interests of the president and to articulate his positions,” he said. “The issue of the settlements is not an American issue — it’s an Israeli issue... America won’t make that decision as to how Israel will approach Judea and Samaria — it will be a decision made in Israel by the Israelis.”
Huckabee also addressed US-Iran nuclear negotiations and Israel’s security concerns, particularly the potential for a military response. “The United States has never stood in the way — this president has never stood in the way — of Israel from defending itself,” he told Channel 13. “I know there is anxiety here, I sense it,” he said, urging the public to “look at what the president has done [for Israel].”
The ambassador defended the US stance following a recent agreement with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. While the deal reportedly included a cessation of US bombing in exchange for halting attacks on American vessels, it did not cover Houthi strikes on Israel. “There’s 700,000 Americans living in Israel. If the Houthis want to continue doing things to Israel and they hurt an American, then it becomes our business,” Huckabee said on Channel 12.
Asked to clarify whether US intervention would be triggered only by American casualties, he responded: “It’s a matter of what becomes our immediate business.”
Addressing reports that Israel was not briefed ahead of the US-Houthi agreement — including criticism that Netanyahu was blindsided — Huckabee said: “I don’t know what he knew and when he knew it. I know he was informed, I do not know at what time.”
Despite the accord, Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel have continued. When questioned about US coordination with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding Syria — an issue where Ankara and Jerusalem are not aligned — Huckabee stressed Trump’s diplomatic pragmatism. “He maintains relationships even where there are disagreements,” he said, referencing Trump’s interactions with leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
Huckabee also dismissed a recent Jerusalem Post report suggesting Trump was preparing to recognize a Palestinian state. “Nonsense,” he said. “My toddler grandson is a more reliable source than that anonymous Gulf source.”
He reiterated that US policy under Trump remains unchanged: “The United States isn’t required to get permission from Israel to make some type of arrangement that would get the Houthis from firing on our ships,” he said earlier in the week.
On the hostage crisis in Gaza, Huckabee stressed Washington’s support for prioritizing the safe return of those held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. “We all want to see hostages released,” he said. “It is inappropriate, and frankly insulting,” he added, “to say that the reason the hostages are in danger is because of decisions from US or Israeli leaders.”
“If Hamas would act like civilized people, this would be over,” Huckabee stated, calling on the international community to focus pressure on the terror group rather than Israel.
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