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Prominent American conservative journalist Tucker Carlson\u2019s interview with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has caused quite a stir. Since it was released on Friday, observers from across the political spectrum in the United States have taken to social media to comment.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the interview highlighted \u2014 perhaps more than any other political or media spectacle \u2014 the growing suspicion that American officials may be more loyal to a foreign country than they are to the US. This may well turn out to be a defining moment for how Americans view their government\u2019s relationship with Israel.<\/p>\n
Huckabee, who is also a Baptist minister and former governor of Arkansas, was confirmed as US ambassador to Israel in April 2025. The news of his appointment was welcomed by the Israeli government and various pro-Israel groups, and he was hailed as a \u201ctrue friend of Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n
That Israel is quite close to Huckabee\u2019s heart was made clear throughout his interview with Carlson, as he repeatedly parroted Israeli talking points.<\/p>\n
He spoke of Israel\u2019s \u201cbiblical right\u201d to the land; referred to the occupied West Bank as \u201cJudea and Samaria\u201d; and even appeared to approve of Israel expanding its territory to other parts of the Middle East.<\/p>\n
He repeatedly spoke of Israeli interests as US interests, often used \u201cwe\u201d seemingly including Israel, and even insisted that the \u201cproblem on the border with Lebanon\u201d was an issue Americans should care about. He defended his meeting with Jonathan Pollard, the former American intelligence analyst convicted of spying on the US for Israel, and for advocating for his early release from prison.<\/p>\n
Huckabee went as far as taking a jab at the US Army in his effort to defend the violations of the Israeli military in Gaza.<\/p>\n
When Carlson pressed him about Israel\u2019s killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, he appeared to suggest that the Israeli military is more careful about avoiding civilian casualties than the US military.<\/p>\n
After Huckabee argued that Israel\u2019s war on Gaza produced a \u201clower number of civilians killed\u201d than any modern urban war, Carlson pressed him for a reference point.<\/p>\n
The ambassador offered two US wars \u2014 in Iraq and Afghanistan \u2014 as comparisons, suggesting that Israeli military commanders have been more concerned about protecting civilian life than their American counterparts.<\/p>\n
A US ambassador publicly arguing that a foreign military is more humane than his own country\u2019s armed forces inevitably raises questions about where his primary loyalty lies.<\/p>\n
But Huckabee is, of course, not the only \u201ctrue friend of Israel\u201d within the US political elite.<\/p>\n
The US Congress, on both sides of the aisle, has been known to give boisterous standing applause to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu every time he visits.<\/p>\n
Huckabee\u2019s boss, US President Donald Trump, has repeatedly claimed he is \u201cthe best friend to Israel\u2026 they\u2019ve ever had\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s predecessor, President Joe Biden, has proudly declared he is a Zionist<\/a> and ensured full support and impunity for Israel as it carried out genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has boasted that he goes to Israel every two weeks \u201cwhether I need to or not\u201d.<\/p>\n