Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Josh Hasten
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (center) and Pulse of Israel founder and CEO Avi Abelow (right) at the third annual Pulse of Israel Conference, at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, July 29, 2025
(JNS) — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tuesday evening scolded European countries for censuring Israel over the situation in Gaza instead of putting the blame on Hamas, where he said it belonged.
Speaking at the third annual “Pulse of Israel” conference at Jerusalem’s Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Huckabee said that one would think European countries who fought the Nazis in World War II would understand that fighting Hamas is a noble cause.
“You don’t blame the people who are under attack because the savages attacked them. You stand with those who believe in freedom. You stand with those who believe in a civilized society,” he said.
“You do not stand with the people who think it’s OK to take hostages and torture them, and keep them from their families and use them as a negotiating tool, which is what [Hamas] terrorists do,” he added.
The ambassador made it clear at the event that U.S. President Donald Trump understands Hamas will have no future role in Gaza after the war.
“Leaving Hamas in Gaza would be as ridiculous as having left the Nazis in Germany after World War II and hoping they might change their ways,” he said.
Exclaiming that he didn’t understand how leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron had the gall to declare that they would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State at the United Nations General Assembly this September, Huckabee said, “It’s really not that bad of an idea, provided he [Macron] wants to host that state along the French Riviera.”
Huckabee concluded by heaping praise on Israel and its people for their resilience, and said that “Israel’s optimism comes from understanding that God has a people, a place and a purpose for which they have been created, and it’s the trust in him.”
Pulse of Israel founder and CEO Avi Abelow told JNS the purpose of the conference was to empower Jews and non-Jewish supporters of Israel alike to move forward as leaders of humanity, with so many world leaders failing the Jewish state.
“The Jewish People are a light unto the nations, and must be the ones to lead, not because we necessarily want to be, but because that’s our God-given role,” said Abelow.
It wasn’t just about Israel protecting itself, “but to save the whole of humanity from the moral confusion and immorality that’s coming from many leaders, especially in the west today,” he continued.
Abelow stressed that Israel was stronger now than even before, despite the Oct. 7 massacre, and has become a regional superpower, being begged by minorities including the Druze in Syria to protect them. Without Israel’s presence, he said, that group would be massacred and ethnically cleansed.
“In this darkness, the world is starving not for truth but for moral clarity, for principled leadership and for a people willing to stand unshaken no matter how loud the lies, or how strong the pressure,” he said.
Panama’s ambassador to Israel, Ezra Cohen, stressed that many in the world don’t understand the realities of the situation here, and therefore Israel needs to work on its outreach efforts and encourage people to come to Israel to see for themselves what was really going on.
With regard to the situation in Gaza, Cohen said he fully trusts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he says there is no starvation there. In reality, Cohen said, the United Nations doesn’t want to deliver the aid which Israel provided.
Overall, he was very optimistic about Israel’s war effort, telling JNS, “We are living in challenging times. Israel is being attacked on eight fronts, but as Israel has done in the past, I’m anticipating a huge victory.”
