Ambassador Mike Huckabee formally presented his diplomatic credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, amid a warm welcome in a country that he has visited dozens of times since the early 1970s.
“Welcome home,” Herzog said, noting that Huckabee had been a dear friend of Israel for many years already.
It was a great honor to welcome the new US Ambassador to Israel @USAmbIsrael H.E. Michael D. Huckabee — a dear, steadfast friend of Israel — and his beloved wife, Janet, true lovers of Zion.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) April 21, 2025
Ambassador Huckabee has visited Israel many many times, and his appointment now as… pic.twitter.com/FWgOkbByvr
Huckabee was humble in his own remarks, explaining that he had not campaigned for the job or approached Donald Trump about it until he received a phone call from the President-elect after the election. He cracked several jokes at his own expense, commenting that Dr. Miriam Adelson, the widow of late pro-Israel casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, might have advised Trump to choose Huckabee if no one else wanted the job.
He is the first evangelical Christian to hold the job, and has long held staunch pro-Israel views — some of which were targets for anti-Israel members of Congress like Sen. Chris van Hollen (D-MD). Huckabee has said, for example, that Israel has a legal and Biblical right to annex Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
Huckabee preceded the credentialing ceremony with a formal visit to the Western Wall on Sunday. He and President Herzog also acknowledged and mourned the passing of Pope Francis, one day after Easter.
Several other ambassadors also presented their credentials at the event, including the ambassador of Canada.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
