A dispute between U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Israeli officials surfaced Thursday over delays in tourist visas for Christian evangelical groups.
Huckabee warned Interior Minister Moshe Arbel that continued issues could lead the U.S. to tighten visa access for Israelis, adding he may publicly say Israel no longer welcomes Christians. The ambassador lamented heavily on the Interior Ministry’s lack of granting visa authorization to Christian organizations and workers to operate in Israel. The exchange was revealed in leaked letters reported by Ynetnews and the Times of Israel.
Huckabee wrote the following in his letter:
“This is not the relationship Israel wants to have with its best partner and friend… As the U.S. Ambassador representing President Donald Trump, I am formally demanding that this deteriorating relationship with the Department of State be resolved so that this matter does not escalate further… It would be deeply regrettable if our embassy were to be forced to publicly announce throughout the United States that the State of Israel no longer welcomes Christian organizations and their representatives and that, instead, it is engaging in harassment and negative treatment of organizations with longstanding ties and positive engagement with Zionism. We will be further obligated to warn Christians in America that their generous donations to organizations in Israel are being met with hostility, and that tourists should reconsider travel until the situation is clearly resolved.”
According to The Times of Israel, Interior Minister Arbel, of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, responded that he was “particularly surprised” by the envoy’s approach in raising his concerns, stating officially:
“In my view, this course of action deviates from accepted working norms and does not reflect the direct and constructive relationship we have established… I greatly appreciate your consistent support for Israel and your steadfast commitment to our partnership. For this reason, I believe it is incumbent upon us to act in a spirit of coordination, mutual trust, and respect — even when misunderstandings or difficulties arise.”
The exchange comes amid renewed criticism of Israel from Christian groups following several incidents, including a Wednesday shell fragment strike on a Catholic church in Gaza that killed three, and the mob beating death of a Palestinian-American Christian by extremist Jewish settlers—an act publicly condemned by Huckabee.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee threatened to publicly accuse Israel of discriminating against Christian groups, pointing to a deliberate pattern of denying tourist visas to evangelical missionaries.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel privately responded to Mike Huckabee’s… pic.twitter.com/QHdgTjcqm6
— AF Post (@AFpost) July 18, 2025
