The right has a growing Israel problem

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is among the most well-known, consistent supporters of Israel among Israel’s most loyal and fervent supporters in America: Evangelical Christians. Ambassador Huckabee is also a very smart man, a former governor of Arkansas, and a serious candidate for President during the 2016 election. Huckabee has been on the front lines of Christian Zionism and defending Israel against its many enemies for decades. So, for someone who is intimately aware of how Israel is constantly portrayed as the villain in the media, why would Ambassador Huckabee allow his voice to be used for that purpose?

Last week, the Times of Israel (TOI) published an article entitled Huckabee threatens to declare Israel does not welcome Christians, as visa row blows open. Subtitle: US envoy pens scathing letter to interior minister, accusing Israel of blocking Christian groups from entering Israel and warning of reciprocal steps against Israeli visa seekers. From the piece:

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has threatened to publicly declare that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel over what he said was Jerusalem’s failure to approve tourist visas for evangelical missions.

The threat was issued in a letter that Huckabee sent on Wednesday to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, which was leaked to Hebrew media on Thursday. Arbel pushed back on the allegations in a response letter that was obtained by The Times of Israel.

Huckabee in his letter threatened to order his embassy to take reciprocal measures against Israeli tourists seeking visas to enter the US.

The TOI article describes the Ambassador’s increasing frustrations with Minister Arbel’s office and the measures the US would go to resolve the matter. Huckabee eventually wrote to Arbel, stating:

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.

For years, Israeli friends have lamented the entrenched bureaucracy of their government. I have personally heard horror stories. After reading the Times of Israel piece and seeing the predictable anti-Israel comments on social media, I reached out to my Israeli colleagues to get a better sense of what was happening on the ground. An Israeli attorney and colleague sent me a message that summed up the multiple replies I received:

I read the article. It does seem that [Interior Minister Moshe] Arbel did try to take care of the requests. I don't think that there are any ulterior motives here - in this particular case. It is fairly routine for Christian groups to come here, and they are good for tourism, the economy, and are generally quite welcome by Israelis. I think this was more of a bureaucratic snafu typical to the war period. Most Israelis lament how difficult it is to get things done in the government nowadays - I think this is part of it. As far as Huckabee's letter is concerned…is someone anti-Israel/woke right whispering in his ear? Does he really believe Arbel to be against him (perhaps due to his ultra-orthodox identity?) or is he making a show to impress upon the MAGA base that he is being tough in the name of Christians? I don't know what to say.

Observe how my colleague referred to the issue of the woke (read: antisemitic) right in America. Israelis are indeed aware of the attacks coming from conservatives like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA), who, among other things, is demanding that groups like AIPAC and Christians United for Israel (CUFI) comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Both AIPAC and CUFI (for which I served on staff for nearly seven years) lobby Congress for a strong US-Israel relationship. They do not lobby “on behalf of Israel” as Rep. Greene claims. Fellow Israel critic and former Trump White House staff member Steve Bannon goes even further and declares that “Israel is not a (US) ally.”

Surely, Ambassador Huckabee must be aware of this.

Yesterday, the visa matter was resolved by Israeli attorney Calev Myers. Ambassador Huckabee shared this comment on 𝕏:

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. I’m convinced the Interior Minister was not fully aware of the change being imposed and I’m grateful he has personally intervened to completely restore the long-standing process.

As my Israeli colleagues suggested, the issue was administrative, not attitudinal. But the damage to Israel’s reputation — by a stalwart Christian Zionist — was done. Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), another loud anti-Israel voice on the right, reported on One America News Network (OANN) that Ambassador Huckabee was calling for BDS against Israel, and is decrying the problem of Jewish supremacy. These are long-standing antisemitic tropes that have been given renewed life, and they’re coming from the political right. Sadly, the visa incident was not the worst of it.

Also, last week, Ambassador Huckabee was invited to the town of Taybeh in Judea and Samaria at the request of the Arab Christian leaders there. The Ambassador was told information that has been viral on social media: Israeli settlers set fire to a 1500-year-old church in Taybeh. From The Press Service in Israel (TPS-IL):

The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem urged a transparent investigation into the attacks, calling on Israeli authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable. They stated that the settlers’ actions near Taybeh were “both facilitated and enabled by state policies.” The accusations of “settler violence” were based on statements from church leaders and the Taybeh municipality, which released a video purporting to show settlers setting the blaze.

Ambassador Huckabee visited the site of the church in Taybeh and posted pictures of himself on social media surrounded by the Arab residents. One of his captions read:

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. Was in Taybeh today to meet with people of that village to listen & learn.

He also added:

Taybeh is a quiet Palestinian Christian village south of Jerusalem w/ a lot of American citizens that has been vandalized-including fires set at ancient church. I visited there today. Desecrating a church,mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity & God.

Yesterday, the Israeli Police began an investigation into the church incident in Taybeh and posted this on 𝕏:

Contrary to misleading reports, no damage was caused to the Church of Saint George in Taybeh. The fire was limited to an adjacent open area, not the holy site. Emergency services received reports from local residents, including both Israelis and one Palestinian caller. The District Commander has initiated a thorough investigation. If arson is confirmed, justice will be pursued regardless of race or background. Due process is based on facts, not headlines.

Ambassador Huckabee quoted the Israeli Police post and, as if in defense of his blood libel implication, said:

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.

While it is technically true that Ambassador Huckabee did not directly attribute the fires to Israeli Jews, he is most certainly aware that his Arab Christian hosts do indeed blame the Jews. The “Israelis burned down an Arab Christian church” blood libel is trending right alongside the “Israelis destroyed a Catholic church in Gaza” blood libel. The Ambassador’s public comments and accompanying photos are being used to continue the lie that Israel persecutes Christians. The fact that Ambassador Huckabee has not acknowledged his role in spreading anti-Israel propaganda, however inadvertent, is not an encouraging sign.

This piece is not an attempt to make a case that Mike Huckabee is an anti-Zionist. That would be absurd. Rather, this piece seeks to emphasize how Christian leaders like Ambassador Huckabee seem woefully unaware of how volatile the issue of rightwing antisemitism is. It is as if there is a collective inability, or unwillingness, to read the room or discern the signs. Clearly, Christian supporters of Israel are being targeted in a massive disinformation campaign, even if it’s not clear who exactly is responsible. Longtime Israel champion Glenn Beck recently revealed, “We are now getting threats from our own side. We are getting threats and we are in danger.” In this escalating, existential war against Islamic jihadists in Israel and throughout the Western world — both ideological and kinetic — it does not matter what Ambassador Huckabee’s intentions are. What matters is what he says and does. This is true for us all. Sadly, far too many Christian Israel supporters do not understand this reality.

Finally, as a Christian pastor, I must state that the rising hatred for Israel and the Jewish people in America on both sides of the political aisle and among certain Christian sects is not an ominous sign for Israel. It's an ominous sign for America. Those who know their Bible are not confused about this. Israel will be just fine. It’s America’s future that hangs in the balance.

This article was originally published on the IBSI substack. It is reposted here by permission.