Tucker Carlson interrogated in Israel, has passport seized after interviewing US ambassador

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, an ally of President Donald Trump with whom he often has disagreements on foreign policy, travelled to Israel on Wednesday for a sit-down with Huckabee.

Huckabee has stated that Jews have a “divine right” to colonize Palestinian land and denies Palestinian national identity.

The interview followed a public spat between the pair online after Carlson slammed Israel’s “shocking” treatment of Christians and accused Huckabee of failing to ensure protections for Christians who face attacks from Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and in Jerusalem.

Incidents of harassment targeting Christians including spitting, physical intimidation, damage to property including cemeteries, and disruption of services.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Carlson, a devout 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 with 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 voices on the right denouncing Israel’s grip on US politics, including its lobbying for US involvement in its conflict with Iran and Israel’s other regional enemies.

Carlson has also condemned Israel’s war on Gaza, calling it a genocide.

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 seemingly backed Tel Aviv’s treatment of the conservative figure.

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.

“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 against Iran.

Younger conservative voters have been especially critical of Israel’s influence on the US and are generally opposed to risking the lives of American troops to advance Israel’s strategic interests in the Middle East.

Carlson has singled out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), calling its influence “an ongoing humiliation ritual” for American lawmakers and the country.

Despite their differences over Israel, Carlson remains close to Trump and Vice President JD Vance and recently met Trump at the White House.

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.”