'They're (Israel) doing a lousy job at genocide'

Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, addressed claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and said, "They're doing a lousy job at genocide." Huckabee also said that when U.S. President Donald Trump told him he was appointing him to the position, he felt it was a "calling from God."

In an interview with the Christian network CBN, Huckabee said that in Israel, "If they wanted to do genocide, they could drop a few bombs and everybody would be dead." The ambassador noted the precautions Israel takes to avoid killing uninvolved Palestinians. "Not even the US gives that kind of warning to civilians to try to protect them."

Huckabee arrived at the interview wearing a solidarity pin for the kidnapped. He said he would continue to wear the pin until all of the hostages, both the living and the deceased, return home, and that he cannot wait to remove it.

"Like a marriage" – Huckabee on U.S.-Israel relations

Huckabee dismissed reports of a rift between the United States and Israel. According to him, it’s a relationship close to marriage. He noted that the U.S. and Israel share intelligence and strategy more than with any other country. "The reason the marriage is not about break up is because neither side could afford to pay the alimony," he joked.

The ambassador clarified that the U.S. will not pressure Israel to change its policy in Judea and Samaria and will allow freedom of action on the matter.

Huckabee said that after Oct. 7, Christians should stand with Israel. "They don’t have many friends. There is a long line of people parading the streets of the United States screaming, ‘From the river to the sea,’ they have no idea what that even means." He said he fears antisemitism in the U.S., calling it "a breakdown in the culture of America."

US ambassador welcomes the effort on humanitarian aid to Gaza

Huckabee praised the efforts of the American fund distributing aid in Gaza. According to him, when other international organizations distributed aid, Hamas looted it. "The UN says: ‘We like the old system better.’ What? You liked that Hamas was stealing the food? You liked that they were selling it to the people that needed it? And then like that the profits from that, they were using to kill people? I'm not sure you would like that."

The U.S. ambassador criticized the media for reports on shooting incidents at aid distribution points in Gaza. According to him, The New York Times, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and CNN disseminated information they received from Hamas without verifying it, and then regretted it.

Huckabee on the nuclear talks: "I don’t know that we take Iran at its word"

Huckabee addressed the nuclear talks with Iran and said he cannot predict what will happen. He said it is beyond his authority as an ambassador. He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump made clear in negotiations that Iran cannot enrich uranium and must abandon its nuclear ambitions.

“Iran has steadfastly said they will not agree” Huckabee added. “I don’t know that we take Iran at its word—they normally don’t keep their’s very well in the 46 years that they’ve ruled that country. But I would take Trump very seriously when he says they will not have a nuclear weapon.”