Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Newsmax on Monday dismissed reports that Vice President JD Vance deliberately skipped a trip to Israel, saying the decision was logistical, not political.
Huckabee said that Vance's decision not to visit Israel this week was due to logistical hurdles and not a message of disapproval toward Israel.
Appearing from Jerusalem on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Huckabee addressed speculation that Vance chose to cancel the visit to avoid signaling support for Israel's military escalation in Gaza.
"Well, first of all, the vice president, we had hoped that he could come. And on his way back from the installation of the Pope, that was something we all wanted to see happen," Huckabee said. "But it was a logistical issue. There were a lot of people that were already here attempting to start groundwork and advance, but quite frankly, it was a scheduling logistical issue, which is not easy to get a vice president into the middle of a war zone."
"It was not a snub to Israel, and it was not something that was the result of some condition," he continued. "It was simply a matter that while he hopes to come sometime — and I hope it's soon — it wasn't going to be able to be on such short notice."
During a press briefing earlier Monday, Vance also addressed the reports, pushing back on claims that political considerations influenced the change. According to the Times of Israel, Vance had considered visiting Israel after attending the confirmation ceremony of the new Pope in Rome on Sunday.
However, the visit was scrapped. A senior U.S. official told Axios the decision was made due to the intensifying Israeli military operations and rising regional tensions.
Vance said the issue came down to family and logistics. "Logistically, it was just a little bit too hard on basic things like, who the hell is going to take care of our kids if we take another couple of days overseas?" he said. He also acknowledged there were other logistical concerns.
"I'm sure we'll visit Israel sometime in the future, but not today," Vance added.
Huckabee emphasized that Vance's commitment to visiting remains intact and said the vice president supports Israel.
"There's no daylight between our nations in terms of our shared values and security interests," Huckabee said. "Vice President Vance made clear that he wants to come. It's just a matter of when — not if."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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