US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denied on Tuesday a report that he had attempted to convince ultra-Orthodox (haredi) leaders to back down from their threat to topple the government.

According to the report by Channel 13 on Monday evening, Huckabee had spoken to political and spiritual haredi leaders, including leading Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch and Jerusalem and Tradition Minister Meir Porush, and argued that if the government fell, the US would “find it difficult” to back Israel if it chose to move against Iran.

Huckabee did not deny the report at first, stating in response to a query on Tuesday morning, “The Ambassador meets with a wide range of Israeli society. The contents of his meetings are private.”

However, on Tuesday afternoon, Huckabee wrote on X, “There has been no attempt to influence Haredi Knesset members regarding a decision to dissolve the government. I have repeatedly said in private conversations that it is not the role of the United States, nor of its Ambassador, to try and choose the government of Israel. Rather, it is my job to work with the government that the people of Israel decide.”

Huckabee continued, “Israel needs both scholars and soldiers, but how they determine the balance is not something I could or would weigh in on. When asked what the reaction in the US would be, I said that most Americans didn't understand the parliamentary government and would likely see a collapsed government as an unstable one given an ongoing war, daily threats from Houthi missiles, and a possible nuclear threat from Iran. However, I emphatically stated it was our responsibility to work with the government that Israelis chose.”

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee addresses the media outside the US Embassy in Jerusalem, May 9, 2025. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee addresses the media outside the US Embassy in Jerusalem, May 9, 2025. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
“There was no attempt to instruct or advise other than mentioning that the conflict between scholars and soldiers might best be settled by someone they were all familiar with, King Solomon, who faced difficult choices and found a way to resolve them. Israel is a sovereign nation with its own procedures on selecting a government. We respect that. Reports that go beyond that are either misleading or untrue,” Huckabee concluded.

MK Yair Lapid responds 

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid wrote on X in response, “We are grateful to Ambassador Huckabee for this important statement that he has not, and will not, get involved in the coalition crisis here in Israel. Ambassador Huckabee is a great friend of Israel, and we had no doubt about his objectivity and integrity. Thank you Mike.”

On Monday evening, following the Channel 13 report, Lapid wrote, “Since I have no doubt that Ambassador Huckabee respects Israel’s independence and its democracy, I hope and believe that the report that he is interfering in Israel’s internal politics and trying to help Netanyahu face the ultra-Orthodox in the evasion law crisis cannot be true. Israel is not a protectorate.”