Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Huckabee: Israel is the only Mideast country with a growing Christian population

The U.S. ambassador made the comment after meeting with the Jewish state’s newly appointed Special Envoy to the Christian world.

Huckabee
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee addresses the FOZ Ambassadors Summit in Jerusalem, Dec. 7, 2025. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met on Thursday with Israel’s Special Envoy to the Christian world George Deek, and expressed his appreciation of the Jewish state for standing out as “the only country in the region with a growing Christian population.”

“Both our nations cherish religious liberty as the foundation of a free and prosperous society,” Huckabee tweeted.

Deek is the first Arab Christian to serve as an ambassador for Israel. He most recently served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan.

A prominent member of Jaffa’s Arab Christian community, he is the son of Youssef Deek, who long served as chairman of the city’s Orthodox Christian community.

“I am confident that George, a respected and experienced diplomat, will greatly contribute to the friendship and strengthening of the ties between the State of Israel and the Christian world,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said of the appointment last week.

See more from JNS Staff
“She complained about that kind of retaliation and ostracization, and that persisted throughout the rest of her internship there,” Rebecca Harris, of the Brandeis Center, told JNS.
The underground complex in Rafah was neutralized after a three-month operation using 30,000 cubic meters of concrete.
Three individuals and a grassroots group received the 2026 Wdzięczność–Gratitude–Hakarat Hatov Awards in Lublin for strengthening Jewish-Polish ties and preserving Holocaust memory.
Aryeh Lightstone, an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, held direct talks with representatives of the terror group in recent months.
Tehran stated its delegation is seeking to enforce ceasefire terms after recent exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Apple TV drama combines espionage, family conflict and psychological suspense in a gripping story about how far a mother will go to save her daughter.