Tucker Carlson interrogated in Israel, passport seized after US ambassador interview

US conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said Israeli security officials detained him and members of his team shortly after he interviewed Washington’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.

Carlson, a close ally of President Donald Trump, travelled to Israel on Wednesday for a sit-down with Huckabee, who believes Jews have a “divine right” to colonise Palestinian land and denies Palestinian national identity.

The interview followed a public falling out online after Carlson slammed Israel’s "shocking" treatment of Christians and accused Huckabee of failing to ensure protections for Christians who face attacks from Orthodox Jews, including spitting, physical harassment, damage to property and cemeteries, and disruption of services.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Carlson, who is also a practising Christian, said Israeli officials confiscated passports and took one of his colleagues into a separate room for questioning.

“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson told the Daily Mail. “It was bizarre. We’re now out of the country.”

Before the interview, Carlson posted a photograph on X showing himself and business partner Neil Patel at Ben Gurion airport, writing: “Greetings from Israel.”

Carlson, whose online platform reaches millions, has become one of the most prominent rightwing voices denouncing Israel’s grip on US politics, particularly since Tel Aviv launched its war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.

Carlson has repeatedly condemned Israel’s war on Gaza calling it a genocide and the harassment faced by Christians inside Israel. Huckabee responded publicly last week, writing: “Instead of talking about me, why don’t you come talk to me?” Carlson accepted the invitation.

In December a US based pro-Israel lobby group named Carlson as its “Antisemite of the Year”, citing his opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Israeli ban

According to reports cited by the Daily Mail, Israeli authorities initially wanted to ban Carlson from entering the country, prompting discussions involving the US State Department.

Channel 13 reported that Israel ultimately allowed him in to avoid a “diplomatic incident”.

The US embassy in Israel defended the process and backed Tel Aviv’s position. An embassy representative said Carlson “received the same passport control questions that countless visitors to Israel, including Ambassador Huckabee and other diplomats, receive as part of normal entrance and exit from Israel.”

Tucker Carlson named ‘Antisemite of the Year’ for opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza

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“It is not accurate that Israel only was going to let Tucker into the country for the interview,” the representative said adding that "Tucker received the same positive treatment of any visitors to Israel.”

The episode unfolded amid growing tensions within the Republican Party over Israel’s influence on American politics, Washington’s funding of the destruction of Gaza, and Tel Aviv’s efforts to push Trump into a new war in the Middle East against Iran - all of which have fuelled anger among younger conservative voters.

Carlson has singled out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), calling its influence "an ongoing humiliation ritual" for American lawmakers and the country, and has warned that the US is complicit in Israel’s wars.

Carlson remains close to Trump and Vice President JD Vance and has met Trump at the White House in recent weeks.

Former US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said following Carlson’s detention: “American citizen and journalist Tucker Carlson detained in Israel…We won’t tolerate this. You just made it worse.”