At a speech in Jerusalem today, Mike Huckabee described Israel as “the 436th congressional district of the U.S.’”
Speaking at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel announced Washington will build a permanent embassy in Jerusalem — where it will serve the 700,000 Americans he says live in the Middle Eastern country.
“700,000 Americans represent an entire congressional district in the U.S. That's how many people live in a congressional district,” Huckabee explained.
The Washington Post reported about 600,000 Americans were living in Israel before October 7.
Huckabee’s remarks come amid continued American frustrations with Israel, over its military actions in the Middle East and continued assaults against civilian populations there. A poll last month found 60% of Americans had an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53% in 2025 and 42% in 2022.
The ambassador is known for making controversial comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict, including previously saying “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”
The first Trump administration established a temporary embassy in Jerusalem in 2017, as part of its controversial bid to recognize the city as the capital of Israel. Only a handful of other countries have followed in its footsteps.