US Ambassador mixes into Israeli politics, tries to save Netanyahu gov’t from collapse

“Government stability is important for addressing the Iranian issue,” Huckabee reportedly told Haredi leaders threatening to topple the coalition.

By World Israel News Staff

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee is holding meetings with members of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, who are currently threatening to topple the current government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to the coalition’s failure to pass a law granting the religious community widespread exemptions from military service.

According to Hebrew-language TV news station Channel 13, Huckabee – a staunchly pro-Israel Evangelical Christian and ordained Baptist minister – is working to help stabilize the coalition.

During meetings with Haredi leaders, which were said to include senior Haredi political leaders, Huckabee reportedly stressed that “government stability is important for addressing the Iranian issue.”

Last Thursday, Huckabee urged Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Meir Porush, of the Haredi United Torah Judaism party, “not to break up the government,” the outlet reported.

While Huckabee himself did not confirm or deny the existence of the discussions, a representative from his office said that the ambassador is “holding meetings with various Israeli figures.”

The source from Huckabee’s office added that “the content of those conversations remains private.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, the head of the center-left Yesh Atid party, said he was disturbed by the report. In a tweet, Lapid wrote that that Huckabee’s measures would be an overreach for a foreign diplomat.

“Since I have no doubt that Ambassador Huckabee respects Israel’s independence and its democracy, I hope and believe that the report that he is interfering in Israel’s internal politics and trying to help Netanyahu [deal with] the ultra-Orthodox in the military draft law crisis are not true. Israel is not a protectorate,” Lapid wrote on social media platform X.

Last week, the United Torah Judaism party announced it would vote to dissolve the government over the coalition’s inability to pass a law that would permit young religious men to skip military service.

The Shas party followed suit several days later, saying it also intended to support the measure to disperse the Knesset and trigger early elections.

Coalition crisisDraft lawMike HuckabeeUS Ambassador to Israel