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Mike Huckabee, the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday, where he prayed for the safe return of hostages held in Gaza and delivered a handwritten prayer from President Donald Trump.
Huckabee, who arrived in Israel earlier this week following his Senate confirmation, said Trump personally gave him the note last Thursday during a meeting at the White House. “My first act as ambassador was to take his prayer—praying for the peace of Jerusalem—and to bring it to the Wall, and to pray that there would in fact be peace in the land,” Huckabee said.
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(Video: Shalev Shalom, GPO)
“I also come with a prayer that all of the hostages will come home now, and that we will bring them home,” he added. “And that is the prayer of the President as well.”
The Western Wall stop was Huckabee’s first public appearance in his new role. He was accompanied by Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, who recited the traditional “Shir Lama’alot” (A Song of Ascents). Visitors at the site greeted the ambassador with applause and warm wishes.
Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and an Evangelical Christian, is a longtime supporter of Israel. He has previously endorsed Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and has opposed the two-state solution. However, he emphasized that as ambassador, he would implement the policies of the Trump administration.
“He [President Trump] has visited this place in person—the only president to do so,” Huckabee said. “He has done so very much to show the extraordinary love for the Jewish people and for the people of Israel: recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, recognizing the Golan Heights, moving the embassy here, and many more acts of friendship and alliance.”
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Huckabee said the timing of his visit, during the final weekend of Passover, made the moment even more significant. “I cannot think of a better time to come and to bring this message of goodwill,” he said. “I come today on behalf of the American people with prayers or best wishes—not just for Passover, but for all eternity.”
Rabbi Rabinowitz welcomed the ambassador’s visit, saying, “These are difficult days—our hostages remain trapped in Hamas tunnels, and Israel continues to mourn its fallen. In these moments, your friendship and your unwavering support bring us strength and hope.”