Huckabee blames ‘biblical illiteracy’ for waning support for Israel in US

In a NewsNation interview, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee attributed a recent downturn in American support for Israel to what he called widespread 'biblical illiteracy.' He identified three drivers of the change: foreign disinformation and propaganda, hostility toward people who believe in God and divine moral rules, and a lack of familiarity with the Bible. Huckabee argued that allegations of genocide in Gaza and claims that Israel is an apartheid state are untrue and said Americans would view Israel more favorably if they looked at "the truth."

The comments come against a backdrop of public-opinion polling that shows growing skepticism toward Israel among the U.S. public. A Pew Research survey in April found 60% of U.S. adults held an unfavourable view of Israel, though support remained relatively high within specific groups such as white evangelicals, 65% of whom reported a favourable view. An AP-NORC poll from July indicated that more respondents believed Israel had committed genocide in Gaza than did not, while roughly half of respondents said they did not have enough information to answer the question.

Concerns about dwindling U.S. support have coincided with political shifts and high-profile controversies. The source noted that critics of Israel won several elections, including a referenced victory by Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used part of his United Nations General Assembly speech to criticize Mamdani, saying some New York Jews told him they no longer feel safe.

Pew's April survey also showed declining trust in Netanyahu among Americans, with more than half saying they did not trust him to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Mamdani has publicly opposed hatred and bigotry, including anti-Semitism, but has also said he would carry out an International Criminal Court warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes if the Israeli leader visited New York City — a position he later said the city lacked legal authority to enforce.