Christian Zionists Have Stirred Up Trouble in Israel!

U.S. President Donald Trump had appointed former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee—a figure known for his Christian Zionist identity—as ambassador to Israel. Huckabee, who began his career as an evangelical pastor, has long been one of the staunchest American supporters of Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the Likud Party. He even ran for the Republican presidential nomination a couple of times.

Last week, the Israeli military bombed a Catholic church in Gaza, killing three people and injuring others. Around the same time, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers beat to death a Palestinian Christian who held U.S. citizenship. Huckabee, who labeled the attacks “acts of terror,” visited a Christian village in the West Bank that had also been attacked.

Meanwhile, a crisis quietly broke out between Huckabee and Israel’s Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party in Netanyahu’s coalition. At the heart of the dispute was the Ministry’s decision to stop issuing visas to members of American evangelical Christian organizations since the beginning of the year.

Among the affected groups was the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), which organizes the annual “Jerusalem March,” lobbies for embassies to move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and helps fund Jewish immigration to Israel.

In a strongly worded letter to Arbel, Huckabee warned that if the visa issue wasn’t resolved, the U.S. might reciprocate by restricting travel for Israeli citizens. “We feel we’re being treated like enemies,” he wrote, emphasizing the contributions Christian Zionists and the U.S. have made to Israel. He added that it would be unfortunate if American public opinion learned that Israel was no longer welcoming to Christian groups. He ended the letter with a pointed remark: “This is not the kind of relationship the State of Israel should want with its best friend on the planet.”

Huckabee sent copies of the letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Arbel responded, saying he would work on resolving the issue—but also scolded Huckabee for escalating it to senior leadership.

Meanwhile, ministers from the Shas party resigned after a court ruled to end military exemptions for students at Torah schools. Netanyahu’s office quickly issued a statement assuring that Christian Zionists would face no visa obstacles.

But the most striking detail in Huckabee’s leaked letter, published by The Times of Israel, was the revelation that the Interior Ministry had launched an “investigation” into U.S.-based Christian Zionist organizations operating in Israel. According to The Times, the review was motivated by concerns over “hidden antisemitism or covert proselytizing.”

It appears that ultra-Orthodox Jews view the missionary activities of Christian Zionists in Israel as inherently antisemitic. Arbel’s Shas party represents this deeply religious ultra-Orthodox sector—known in Hebrew as the Haredim.

At the heart of Christian Zionist eschatology lies an offensive theological proposition: in their version of the “Israel story,” Jews ultimately face only two fates—either convert to Christianity and be saved, or be condemned to hell. Devout Jews see this narrative as not just presumptuous but outright demeaning.

In fact, Christian Zionism, at its core, is fundamentally anti-Jewish. In the end, Christians win. But for political Zionists in Israel, the theological implications are irrelevant—as long as Christian Zionists remain loyal supporters of Israel. In many cases, they are even more ardent than American Jews.

Christian Zionists form a powerful bloc within the Republican Party and shape U.S. Middle East policy in ways that align closely with Israel’s interests. As long as they remain “useful,” they’re treated with respect.

Both Christian Zionists and Orthodox Jews have their own apocalyptic end-of-the-world visions. But political Zionists are more pragmatic. They’re not concerned with the end times. They’re focused on the here and now—and have no qualms about “shearing the wool” off the American Christian Zionists they refer to as goyim. Netanyahu occasionally flatters them just enough to keep the donations flowing and the loyalty intact.