US Senator Chris Van Hollen called for Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee to resign. Van Hollen argued that Huckabee had failed to fulfill his responsibility to protect US interests and American citizens in the region.
In a video posted on X on Monday, Van Hollen claimed that the ambassador had been excessively lenient toward the Israeli government. The senator said Huckabee’s role required him to defend US interests.
Response to Huckabee’s comments on “Greater Israel”
Van Hollen also raised a conversation in which Huckabee was asked whether he supported Israel’s control over the territories considered part of the concept of “Greater Israel.” The senator said the ambassador had indicated that taking all of these territories was acceptable and criticized that approach.
The senator also cited examples involving American citizens in the region who he said had been mistreated or unjustly detained. Van Hollen said that 30 other senators and he had previously asked Huckabee to hold the Israeli government responsible for the deaths of more than nine Americans over the past four years.
Christian villages in the West Bank
Van Hollen argued that Huckabee had failed to protect Christians in the Holy Land, despite expressing concern for Christian communities. The senator said settler attacks on Christian villages in the West Bank had increased and that those actions had gone unpunished.
Van Hollen said Huckabee had failed in his duty to protect American citizens and US interests, adding that the ambassador should resign.