Huckabee & Herzog: Iran must be stopped from building The Bomb – and the hostages must come home
Israeli president cites prophet Isaiah, praises ‘moral clarity’ of 1st Evangelical ambassador, in credentials ceremony attended by ALL ISRAEL NEWS
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – The grave and growing threat of the Iranian regime being able to soon build six fully operational nuclear bombs, along with the grievous wound of two dozen live Israeli hostages still languishing in Gaza, were two weighty subjects front and center during the conversation as new U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee formally presented his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog today.
As the two men spoke to the media at the official Presidential Residence, Herzog praised Huckabee’s deep Christian faith, his profound love for Israel and the Jewish people, and his “vocal solidarity and commitment as we fight to defend our people and to bring each and every single one of our hostages back home.”
“I know you, Mike, share both our heartbreak and our absolute resolve to see every last hostage freed from the Hamas dungeons and returned to their loved ones – immediately, every last one,” the president of the Jewish state declared.
“Nothing is more urgent, and nothing warrants our attention more than ending this despicable and ongoing crime against humanity, against every legal and political norm – against God Himself.”
PRESIDENT HERZOG: IRAN’S NUCLEAR THREAT CREATING ‘DECISIVE MOMENT’ IN MIDEAST
Herzog noted that Huckabee begins his new role at “a decisive moment in the history of this region.”
“The Psalmist, King David, wrote, ‘Seek peace and pursue it.’ We believe that these words of faith and peace are not only a dream but a demand upon us that we vow to realize. But to expand peace, we must also soberly recognize the threats to peace.”
“The Ayatollah’s regime in Iran continues to pursue its radical vision of regional dominance and destabilization – on its own and via its proxies – while pursuing nuclear arms and openly calling for the destruction of Israel,” Herzog warned.
“History has taught us that when a radical regime declares, ‘Death to Israel!’ and ‘Death to America!’ we must take these threats seriously and counter them with all our determination, resolve, and might – for the sake of the safety of our people.”
HERZOG CALLS HUCKABEE A ‘DEAR BROTHER OF ISRAEL’
Herzog spoke with great warmth and affection as he received Huckabee’s credentials.
“Usually, when a new ambassador arrives, I say to him or her, ‘Welcome to Israel.’ To you, Mike, I say, ‘Welcome home, Mike, dear brother of Israel.’”
“You have been to Israel so many times. Like Abraham, our forefather, you have heeded the command to walk the land from top to bottom, and you have introduced countless others to its physical and spiritual beauty.”
“This time, your homecoming is different. This time, you are coming as the official ambassador of our most important ally and friend, the United States of America.”
HERZOG CITES ANCIENT HEBREW PROPHET ISAIAH
“Especially since October 7th, you've been a leading voice of moral clarity and conscience. The prophet Isaiah's words – ‘For Zion's sake, I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not remain quiet’ – come naturally to mind.”
“Your appointment as ambassador by President Trump to this critical post is a shining reflection of the President's love, friendship, and support for the State of Israel. We are deeply grateful for the historic steps he has taken to strengthen the ironclad U.S.-Israel alliance.”
HUCKABEE: I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS JOB, BUT I SEE IT AS A CALLING FROM GOD
During his own remarks – unscripted and lasting about ten minutes – Ambassador Huckabee also addressed the Iran threat and his commitment to bringing all the hostages home, even as he shared how surprised he was that President-elect Donald J. Trump called and named him ambassador to Israel just days after last November’s landslide election.
The former governor of Arkansas noted that he never asked Trump for the ambassadorship, much less campaigned for it.
“I never had a conversation with him [about the job]. I got a call out of the clear blue.”
“The president did not say, ‘Would you think about going? Have you ever considered?’ He simply called and said, ‘Mike, you're going to be my ambassador to Israel.’ Just as simple as that."
“You don't say ‘no’ to him,” Huckabee remarked. “And quite frankly, I felt it was not so much saying ‘yes’ to a president – it was certainly that – but it was ‘yes’ to a calling from God Himself to come and fulfill what I believe is not just a job, but a mission.”
HUCKABEE: I’M PRAYING FOR EVERY HOSTAGE TO COME HOME
“That mission is to stand with the people of Israel for peace and prosperity, to serve in a role that I pray will lead to times when the Israeli people can go to bed at night not fearing that a siren will awaken them and force them into a shelter because enemies are irrationally dedicated to destroying them.”
“I long for the day when that young Israeli mother puts her babies to bed at night and does not fear that some harm will come upon them as they sleep – that they will rest with peace, and continue to live with the extraordinary resilience of the Israeli people, which I have come to admire as second to none.”
“Mr. President, we pray that every hostage returns home to their family – every hostage.”
HUCKABEE: IRAN’S LEADERS ARE SERIOUS WHEN THEY CHANT ‘DEATH TO ISRAEL’ AND ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’
“There are challenges” ahead of the U.S. and Israel, Huckabee admitted, saying all world leaders must take Iranian threats seriously and not ignore nor dismiss them.
“I share with you that concern that the Iranian regime – and all of its hostility that has been inflicted upon the world for 46 years – continues to threaten not just the peace of Israel but the peace of the United States.”
“I constantly remind people that the Iranians have said, ‘Death to Israel,’ and chapter two is, ‘Death to America.’”
“It has always been their desire that Israel would be the opening act, and then it would be America's turn to face destruction.”
“Or to put it another simple way, Israel is the appetizer, and the United States is the entrée.”
“We care deeply, Mr. President, about the threats that face Israel, because those are also the threats that face our country.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP ASKED HUCKABEE TO TAKE HIS PRAYER FOR PEACE TO THE WESTERN WALL
“When I was at the White House just a little over a week ago, the President handed me a handwritten note with a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. My first official act upon arriving here was to take that prayer from the president and go to the Kotel [Western Wall] to place it there on behalf of the American people, as a reminder that we stand with you.”
“Mr. President, we stand with the people of Israel – and I always want to remind my American colleagues that we stand with Israel, first of all, because we share the values of the Bible.”
“We share the understanding that the Judeo-Christian foundation is the foundation of all of Western civilization. Without it, there is no sense of democracy, love, appreciation, or respect for the individual.“
HUCKABEE ALSO MET WITH ISRAEL’S FOREIGN MINISTER
Following his time with Herzog, the new American emissary headed across town to meet with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then issued this readout of their meeting:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar held his first working meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a short while ago at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
The meeting took place shortly after Ambassador Huckabee presented his credentials to President Herzog.
Minister Sa’ar and Ambassador Huckabee held a one-on-one meeting, followed by an expanded meeting with their teams. Minister Sa’ar congratulated the Ambassador on assuming his role and thanked him for his unwavering support for Israel over the years.
He added that Israel could not have hoped for a better ambassador, given Huckabee’s long-standing friendship and commitment to strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
The meeting focused on key strategic issues on the agenda, chief among them the Iranian nuclear threat. The two also discussed ways to enhance relations between the countries.
WHAT HAS AMBASSADOR HUCKABEE BEEN DOING SINCE LANDING IN ISRAEL?
On Friday morning, after arriving in Israel, Huckabee went straight to the Western Wall to pray and meet with Orthodox Jewish rabbis.
On Friday evening, the Huckabees had a private Shabbat dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.
Yesterday, the ambassador and his wife attended the sunrise Easter worship service with hundreds of Evangelical Christians from all over Israel and the world.
Huckabee also posted a video on social media talking about his new role and his love for Jesus the Messiah.
“An ambassador means that you are the representative – you don't have your own message; you have someone else's,” Huckabee said in the video.
“What a perfect reminder that as we celebrate Easter Sunday – and as my wife and I celebrate our first Easter, and our first weekend here in Jerusalem – we have the opportunity to be representatives not only of our government, but also of Jesus Christ, whose day we celebrate today, recognizing the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ.”
“It was here in this city where He spent His last week. Here in this city where He was crucified. And here in this city where He rose again to give all of us a real sense of hope.”
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
