American journalist Tucker Carlson on Friday's episode of his podcast, revealed that Israeli authorities detained him and his team at Ben-Gurion Airport after his interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, alleging his executive producer was taken into an interrogation room and his passport was confiscated.
The interview took place on or around February 18, 2026, at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Carlson and his team flew in (reportedly on a private jet), conducted the interview in the airport complex without ever leaving it, and departed hours later. He posted a photo on X with his business partner Neil Patel captioned “Greetings from Israel.”
Israel’s foreign ministry, denied any detention, claiming the encounter was routine security questioning applied to all travelers, including diplomats. And the U.S. Embassy emphasized that Carlson chose to remain within the airport’s VIP terminal and did not leave the premises.
Carlson called out the ambassador for going on social media and siding with Israeli authorities without asking him about what actually happened. He also revealed that the person he took a picture with was their Israeli driver who asked for it, contrary to the narratives spread on X by pro-Israel activists.
The American journalist filmed the two-and-a-half-hour interview with Huckabee published Friday, amid tensions over U.S.-Israel relations, the Israel-Gaza conflict (with a fragile truce in place), West Bank developments, and risks of U.S. escalation with Iran. Carlson, representing a populist-nationalist, skeptical-of-endless-foreign-aid wing of the right, repeatedly challenged Huckabee—a staunch Christian Zionist and longtime Israel supporter—on whether U.S. policy prioritizes Israeli interests over American ones.
The tone was testy, with pointed exchanges, exposing a clear rift in the Republican/MAGA coalition between traditional pro-Israel evangelicals and those wary of unconditional aid or Middle East entanglements.
Huckabee, a zealous evangelical Christian Zionist, said that Israel has a "Biblical right" to the entire Middle East, including areas from the Nile to the Euphrates, and said it would be "fine if they took it all." He defended Israel’s military actions in Gaza, claiming IDF operations are more humane than American's and asserting that many children killed were Hamas operatives or human shields.
Carlson, in turn, challenged these claims, expressing disbelief at justifying child deaths and questioning the moral basis of such policies. He also pressed Huckabee on the treatment of Christians in Israel, citing reports of discrimination.
The popular American journalist pressed Huckabee on biblical justifications for Israel’s claims, citing Genesis 15:18 (God’s covenant with Abraham promising land “from the river of Egypt [Nile/Wadi] to the great river, the Euphrates”). This territory would encompass modern Israel plus Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, parts of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
"Does Israel have the right to that land?” (noting it would be “basically the entire Middle East”), Carlson asked.
Huckabee responded: “Not sure we’d go that far… It would be a big piece of land… It would be fine if they took it all.”
Carlson, a critic of unconditional U.S. support for Israel, has increasingly highlighted Christian persecution and Israeli overreach. Huckabee, a former governor and two-time presidential candidate, defended Israel’s sovereignty and rejected comparisons between Jewish and Palestinian national identities.
The popular journalist accused Huckabee of prioritizing Israel over the United States, especially in the context of the Gaza war. Carlson challenged Huckabee’s claim that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have a lower civilian casualty ratio than the U.S. military, calling it “very revealing” and questioning the ethics of such a comparison amid reports of over 70,000 deaths in Gaza, including many civilians.
The interview, amid a growing rift within the conservative movement and Republican Party over Israel policy. There is growing skepticism among younger Republicans toward Christian Zionism, with a 2025 survey showing 53% of Republicans under 45 oppose renewing the $38 billion U.S. military aid package to Israel.
Huckabee’s “it would be fine if they took it all” remark triggered immediate, sharp condemnation on Saturday, from multiple Arab and Muslim governments and organizations including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the League of Arab States. They viewed it as endorsing expansionism, violating international law, and inflaming tensions.
The League of Arab States labeled Huckabee's comments “extremist,” “provocative,” and inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy. The league called it a violation of “all the basic principles and established norms of diplomacy,” “defying logic and reason,” and an attempt to “curry favor with the right-wing public in Israel.” It inflames sentiments at a sensitive time for Gaza peace efforts.
Egypt’s foreign ministry called the remarks a “blatant violation” of international law, asserting Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian or Arab lands.
Saudi Arabia called the comments “extremist rhetoric,” “reckless,” and “irresponsible”; and urged the U.S. State Department to clarify and distance itself.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC, 57 nations) condemned the “dangerous and irresponsible” comments as “an unacceptable call for the expansion of Israel” based on a “false and rejected historical and ideological narrative.” It fuels extremism and encourages illegal Israeli actions like settlement and annexation.
