U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has ignited international debate by defending Israel’s nearly two-month-long blockade of Gaza, which has restricted humanitarian aid to the region, in response to a call from a World Health Organization (WHO) official. In a post on X on April 21, Huckabee stated, “A WHO official called upon me to put pressure on Israel to bring more humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. How about we put the pressure where it really belongs – on Hamas,” redirecting blame for the crisis to the Palestinian militant group.
The blockade, intensified following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, has drawn widespread condemnation. Multiple United Nations agency heads issued a joint statement earlier this month, urging world leaders to act “firmly, urgently, and decisively” to uphold international humanitarian law, warning that the tightened restrictions could “further aggravate conditions of life calculated to destroy the Palestinian population of Gaza.”
Critics have pointed out that starving civilians is considered a war crime under U.S. and international law. The blockade has severely limited food, medicine, and other essential supplies, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where over 50,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Israel’s military campaign began, according to local health officials.
Huckabee’s stance aligns with his long-held views as a self-described “unapologetic, unreformed Zionist.” The former Arkansas governor, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2025, has previously questioned the existence of a Palestinian identity and advocated for Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, which he refers to as “Judea and Samaria.” His comments have raised concerns about the U.S.’s impartiality in the region, especially as the Biden administration’s earlier efforts to broker a ceasefire have faltered.
The ambassador’s remarks come amid heightened tensions, with Israel’s actions in Gaza prompting widespread protests in Jordan, where the Islamic Action Front has capitalized on public outrage to gain electoral success. Jordanian officials face pressure as approximately half the population, of Palestinian descent, demands action against Israel’s policies.
Huckabee’s defense of the blockade has drawn sharp criticism on platforms like X, with users like
@ShaykhSulaiman
accusing him of complicity in using starvation as a weapon. Others, such as
@therealroseanne
, have praised his stance, highlighting the polarized sentiment surrounding his ambassadorship.
As the conflict continues, Huckabee’s comments underscore the challenges facing U.S. diplomacy in navigating the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, with implications for regional stability and international law.
