Huckabee threatens to declare Israel does not welcome Christians, as visa row blows openTimes of Israel, Jul 18, 2025
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.
Given Huckabee’s longstanding support for Israel and close ties with the current government in particular, the rhetoric in his letter represented a shockingly quick deterioration.
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Huckabee informed Arbel that these organizations were required to complete lengthy questionnaires and that they had still not received new visas for religious leaders to travel to Israel, despite submitting their applications at the beginning of the year.
“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,” the US envoy wrote.
"It’s understandable that the Minister of Interior has concerns of concealed antisemitism or of proselytizing and needs to properly vet certain groups,” a longtime employee of a Christian Zionist organization in Israel told The Times of Israel.
“That being said, it’s lamentable that well-established Christian groups that prove to be no threat and are taking a strong stance of support for Israel and the Jewish people are encountering these obstacles,” the employee continued. “There are a number of Christian groups that simply want to extend friendship and support to Israel and also better understand the Jewish roots of their own faith.”
More:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/huckabee-threatens-to-declare-israel-not-welcoming-christians-as-visa-row-blows-open/
