Israel’s special relationship with the United States was never more obvious than on Monday when US Ambassador Mike Huckabee presented his credentials to President Isaac Herzog.
The former governor of Arkansas was the seventh of a group of new ambassadors whose own presentation ceremonies were cut short due to the arrangements being made on Huckabee’s behalf.
The others – from Belarus, India, the Dominican Republic, Canada, the Philippines, and Angola – each presented their credentials in the main hall, then retired to a smaller reception room for a brief tête-à-tête and photo op with the president.
Huckabee went through this as well but had a considerably longer private audience and then emerged back into the main hall to join the president on a stage from which each made a statement.
With the possible exception of the first ambassadors of Arab- or Muslim-majority countries, no other ambassadors make statements. The Americans always do.
Moreover, the event was broadcast live by the Government Press Office.
Herzog was warm in his praise, both for the American alliance and for Huckabee himself.
He also paid special tribute to Miriam Adelson, the influential Israeli-American businesswoman and mega philanthropist who was part of Huckabee’s entourage, saying she was responsible, in her own way, for strengthening the America-Israel relationship. He also praised the work she does toward creating awareness of the plight of the hostages and the urgent need to bring them home.
In fact, Herzog brought the hostage issue into the conversations he had with each of the ambassadors, and sometimes, they raised the matter first. In all cases, there was consensus that nothing deserves higher priority.
In officially greeting Huckabee, the president said that usually, when he meets new ambassadors, he says, “Welcome to Israel,” but in this case, he chose to say, “Welcome home, dear brother of Israel” and noted that, like the biblical Abraham, Huckabee had traveled the length and breadth of the land. However, this time, Herzog emphasized, it was different because Huckabee was here as the US ambassador, the envoy of Israel’s greatest ally.
The president also referred to the many times that the new ambassador has spoken up for Israel, slightly rewording the quote from Isaiah, “For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest until her righteousness go forth.”
Commitment to hostages' return and Israeli safety
Herzog lauded Huckabee’s commitment to the return of the hostages and the safety and security of Israel’s citizens.He characterized the suffering that the hostages are forced to endure as “the most despicable crime against humanity.”
In this context, he moved on to Iran, saying that instead of pursuing peace, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei seeks to pursue nuclear domination and nuclear arms to first destroy Israel and then America.
Returning to events in Israel, Herzog described how moved the nation was last Friday when Huckabee went to the Western Wall to deposit a message for peace that US President Donald Trump had instructed him to deliver.
Huckabee recalled his first visit to Israel 52 years ago as a 17-year-old, wide-eyed boy. He had fallen in love with the land on that first trip and had made dozens of visits since, bringing thousands of people over the years.
This time, he is in Israel in a state of joy and awe, he said. He regards his position not only as a geopolitical one but as one of divinity.
He’s not here for a week or a few days, as on previous occasions. He is going to live in Israel for four years, and he feels privileged and honored to be able to do so, the ambassador said.
When Trump called him and told him that he had been selected to be the next ambassador to Israel, Huckabee replied in the affirmative, “Because you don’t say no to President Trump.” It wasn’t just a matter of saying “Yes” to the president, the ambassador recalled. It was saying “Yes” to God Himself.
Regarding the hostages, Huckabee said he prays every day for their return home to their families. He spoke of those hostages still alive and those who are deceased, saying the latter deserve the dignity of a proper burial in their home country.
Concerning Iran, he was well aware that Iran’s goal has always been “Death to Israel” first – followed by the destruction of the United States. “The threats that face Israel are also those that face our country,” he said.
Later in the day, Huckabee tweeted on X that an official for the World Health Organization had asked him to put pressure on Israel to bring more humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Huckabee responded, “How about we put the pressure where it really belongs – on Hamas.”
The story of the presentation ceremonies of the other six new ambassadors will appear in Wednesday’s edition of The Jerusalem Post.