According to reports from the Hebrew news agency Tasnim, Carlson emphasized that Israel has become a heavy burden on the United States. He controversially suggested that many Israelis may not even be Jewish and called for DNA testing of all Israelis. These statements have garnered significant attention in Israeli media.
The Hebrew news outlet Ynet reported that Carlson, a far-right American host and commentator, released the full interview he conducted with Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador in Tel Aviv, at Ben Gurion Airport. This two-and-a-half-hour interview followed Carlson’s claims that his team had been taken for questioning at the airport.
Despite the questioning issue—denied by both American and Israeli media—Carlson made other incendiary remarks that Ynet viewed as potentially anti-Semitic. Among other things, he suggested conducting DNA tests on all residents of the disputed land to determine who might be “descendants of Abraham,” and labeled Israel as the most oppressive government structure globally, a police state that installs surveillance programs on the phones of everyone who enters.Carlson also accused the United States of preparing for war with Iran at Netanyahu’s request, stating that before landing his private plane at Ben Gurion Airport, he was asked to provide his travel details to Israeli security forces to avoid being mistaken for an Iranian drone.
In his introduction, Carlson noted that he had attempted to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months, claiming it was to prove he does not hate Israel and to “calm the situation” after alleging that Netanyahu sought to harm him following his criticisms of Israel.
He remarked, “He has repeatedly stated that he believes in the concept of vengeance against the Amalekite people. If someone commits a crime against you, you punish not only them but also their family and children.”
In another part of the report, Huckabee was ultimately interviewed at Ben Gurion Airport, which Carlson described as a very “dirty” building. He remarked, “The windows of the hall were so dirty that it was hard to see through them. Everything was dark and gloomy, with garbage piled outside. What is this? This is the diplomatic hall of Israel!”He reiterated his claim that his producers were detained for questioning by airport security after the interview where they were apparently asked about the interview itself. He accused “Of course everything in the diplomatic hall is recorded; everything in Israel is recorded. This is a police state an intelligence structure. You come to Israel and they install programs on your phone. Everyone knows this! They are always watching you perhaps more than anywhere else.”
The interview was highly tense with Carlson accusing Huckabee of working for Israel rather than representing the United States as the Ambassador in Tel Aviv. Among other topics Carlson debated Huckabee regarding his meeting with Jonathan Pollard an American Jewish spy and Huckabee’s claim that Jews have a historical right to the land of Israel based on God’s promise to Abraham in the Bible that his descendants would inherit the land “from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.”
