US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed that the visa issue concerning American Evangelical organizations has been fully resolved following a meeting with Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an X/Twitter post on Monday.
“Starting in January, changes in how visas for Christian organizations were processed led to serious bureaucratic and financial challenges for these groups,” Huckabee explained.
He continued, stating, “Upon arriving in Israel as Ambassador, I learned that the changes in the process were creating delays, costs, and significant burdens with paperwork.”
Despite a meeting with the Interior Minister that initially led to the belief that the issue was settled, organizations continued to face difficulties, he wrote.
“I informed the Prime Minister’s Office of the problem and pointed out how detrimental it was to the relationship of the State of Israel with the American evangelical community,” Huckabee said.
He added, “The Christian organizations did not at any time ask for different or special treatment, but merely a return to what has been an efficient and satisfactory process for many years.”
In his X post, Huckabee credited Attorney Calev Myers, an Israeli lawyer representing approximately 150 Christian groups in Israel, with playing a key role in outlining the request. He added that the PMO, along with the Interior Minister, was actively involved in the resolution.
“I am delighted to report that the issue has been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and the strong support that Israel enjoys from American evangelicals will continue,” Huckabee stated.
He added, “I’m convinced the Interior Minister was not fully aware of the change being imposed and I’m grateful he has personally intervened to completely restore the long-standing process."
“American Christians are some of Israel’s strongest supporters, and the resolution of this issue among friends is a welcome outcome,” Huckabee concluded.
Huckabee's frustration over visas
In a letter last week, Huckabee expressed his frustration over Israel’s refusal to grant collective entry visas to numerous Christian organizations, N12 reported.
The strongly worded letter was addressed to Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and forwarded to several senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
Huckabee wrote, "It would be unfortunate if we were forced to publicly disclose that Israel is engaging in harassment and displaying a negative stance toward these groups." He concluded with a pointed warning: "Should this continue, I will have no choice but to consider implementing reciprocal measures against Israeli citizens requesting US visas."
According to Huckabee, the Interior Ministry had been independently investigating each evangelical organization, requiring them to submit detailed forms about their religious beliefs, activities, and assets in Israel. As a result, these groups were denied new visas for religious representatives while the investigation was ongoing, N12 noted.