U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated that the U.S. Embassy, Israel’s Interior Ministry, and the Prime Minister’s Office agreed on a streamlined and efficient application process for granting visas to Evangelical organizations.
Attorney Calev Myers, representing the Evangelical organizations, informed ALL ISRAEL NEWS, “A solution has been reached to the satisfaction of all parties. The Evangelical Christian organizations active in Israel, which represent the vast majority of Zionists in the world today, will receive all of the visas they need through a streamlined and efficient application process.”
Later, Huckabee confirmed on his X account, “The issue concerning visas for American Evangelical organizations has been fully resolved. Starting in January, a change in the manner in which visas for Christian organizations had been processed for decades led to serious challenges bureaucratically and financially for the groups.”
The problem gained public attention after Israeli media disclosed a strongly worded letter from Huckabee to the Interior Ministry and Israeli leaders. In the letter, he threatened to declare Israel as unfriendly to Evangelical Christian organizations and mentioned the possibility of withholding visas for Israelis in retaliation.
Huckabee noted that upon his arrival as ambassador earlier this year, he observed that changes in the visa process were causing “delays, costs, and significant burdens with paperwork.” Although he believed the issue was resolved after discussions with Interior Minister Arbel months ago, Evangelical organizations continued to report problems.
Myers confirmed to AIN that the challenges faced by organizations such as the Baptist Convention of Israel, Christian Missionary Alliance, and Assemblies of God were similar to those supposedly resolved by the ministry in 2023.
Upon learning that issues persisted, Huckabee contacted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, emphasizing the negative impact on Israel’s relationship with the American evangelical community. A source from the Prime Minister’s Office, cited by the Jewish Insider, stated that Israel has “absolutely no interest in undermining the freedom [of workers and volunteers for Christian organizations] coming to Israel” and expressed the importance of addressing the problem.
Huckabee emphasized that the Christian organizations did not request special treatment, but a return to the efficient process that had existed for many years. He concluded, “I am delighted to report that the issue has been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction and the strong support that Israel enjoys from American evangelicals will continue.”
