Trump's Own Envoy Defies Him Over Israel: "US Owes Its Existence to Israel"

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee publicly broke with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, declaring that America's very existence is rooted in Israel, a direct inversion of Trump's own statement made just hours earlier at the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France.

Huckabee made the remarks at a conference, telling attendees, "Without Israel, without the Jewish foundation, there would not be America. We owe our very existence to what happened in this land."

Trump's Counter-Narrative at the G7

Trump said at a G7 meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim, "Without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did”.

"Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved," he added.

The divergence between the president and his own envoy drew immediate attention, coming at a moment of intense diplomatic activity.

The G7 summit unfolded as Trump and Iran finalized a truce expected to be formalized in Switzerland on Friday, a deal nearly derailed when Israel launched strikes against a Hezbollah command center in Beirut.

Huckabee's Role and Prior Controversies

This is not the first time Huckabee's statements have clashed with broader U.S. policy positions.

In February 2026, Huckabee sparked outrage across the Arab world after saying "it would be fine" if Israel took over large swaths of the Middle East, prompting a joint condemnation from the foreign ministries of over a dozen Arab and Muslim nations, including U.S. allies Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

At the time, the joint statement said his remarks "directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.”

Huckabee was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Israel by a 53-46 Senate vote, with Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania being the only Democrat to support his confirmation.