US Ambassador Huckabee defends Christian Zionism against attack from heads of 'traditional, liturgical churches' in Jerusalem

Following the response of the ICEJ to a statement by several church leaders in Jerusalem, who described Christian Zionism as a “damaging” ideology, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee offered his own personal response on Tuesday evening. 

In a post to his personal account on 𝕏, Huckabee began by calling the members of the “liturgical churches” his “brothers and sisters,” noting he loves and respects their views, "but I do not feel any sect of the Christian faith should claim exclusivity in speaking for Christians worldwide or assume there is only one viewpoint regarding faith in the Holy Land,” Huckabee stated. 

The statement by several heads of traditional churches in Jerusalem, while mentioning Christian Zionism, largely focused on the authority of the Patriarchates to be the only legitimate representatives for Christians in the Holy Land. 

In response to the statement of non-evangelical churches in Israel, I issued the following. I hope you will read prayerfully.

I love my brothers and sisters in Christ from traditional, liturgical churches and respect their views, but I do not feel any sect of the Christian… pic.twitter.com/jqohEWk0xJ

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) January 20, 2026

The undersigned Heads of Churches in Jerusalem “alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land,” the statement read. 

In his response, Huckabee noted his Evangelical background and its belief in “the authority of Scripture and the faithfulness of God in keeping His covenants.” 

“That includes His covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people,” Huckabee continued. 

He also noted the connection of the larger Protestant tradition with the development of modern Western civilization and, particularly, the United States of America. 

“My Christian faith is built on the foundation of Judaism and without it, Christianity would not exist.  Without the Judeo-Christian worldview, there would be no Western Civilization, and without Western Civilization, there would be no America,” Huckabee argued. 

Pushing back against the idea of supersessionism, Huckabee said, “The thought that God is even capable of breaking a covenant is anathema to those of us who embrace Holy Scripture as the authority of the church. If God can or would break His covenant with the Jews, then what hope would Christians have that He would keep His covenant with us?” 

Lamenting that the label “Christian Zionism” is being used “in a pejorative manner,” Huckabee noted that “a Zionist simply accepts that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient, indigenous, and Biblical homeland. It’s hard for me to understand why everyone who takes on the moniker 'Christian' would not also be a Zionist.” 

Huckabee also explained that Zionism is not “a commitment to a particular government or government policy, but to the Biblical revelation as given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 

Expressing a desire for acceptance by other Christian denominations, Huckabee finished his response by urging unity in the areas of Christian agreement, “such as the sanctity of life, the sacred act of marriage, the autonomy of the individual, the desire to lift up every human and alleviate human suffering, and the belief that grace is God’s gift to us all.” 

He closed by asking his readers to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”