Huckabee Points to ‘Biblical Illiteracy’ as Support for Israel Slides

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, thinks Americans are losing their favorable view of Israel because they don’t know their Bibles. He spoke to NewsNation on Thursday, laying out his theory for the dip in public support.

Huckabee blamed three things: foreign propaganda and misinformation, a general dislike for people who believe in God and His rules, and, yes, a lack of biblical knowledge. “You add all that together, I guess you just want to be mad at Israel and blame them for everything,” he said.

The ambassador dismissed claims of genocide in Gaza and Israel being an apartheid state. He argues that if Americans just looked at the “truth,” they’d see Israel in a better light.

Public Opinion Shifting

Numbers tell a different story. An April Pew Research poll showed 60 percent of American adults now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. That’s a big chunk. Even among white evangelicals, like Huckabee himself, support, while still strong at 65 percent, isn’t universal.

Then there’s the Gaza question. A July AP-NORC poll suggested more Americans believe Israel committed genocide in Gaza than those who don’t. Nearly half, though, admitted they weren’t informed enough to answer.

This drop in support alarms Israel. Critics of Israel have recently won elections. Take Zohran Mamdani, who became New York City mayor. He’s been vocal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even singled out Mamdani at the United Nations General Assembly. Netanyahu claimed New York Jews felt unsafe because of Mamdani. That’s a serious accusation.

Netanyahu’s Own Struggles

Netanyahu isn’t exactly riding high with American public opinion either. The same Pew survey found more than half of Americans don’t trust him to make the right decisions on world affairs. That’s a tough spot for a prime minister.

Mamdani, for his part, has condemned hatred and bigotry, including antisemitism. He did once promise to execute an International Criminal Court warrant for Netanyahu if the Israeli leader visited New York for alleged war crimes. Mamdani later admitted New York City lacked the legal authority for such an action. The situation remains tense, with strong feelings on all sides as America’s view of Israel continues to evolve.