Huckabee repeats claim despite Trump remarks: US would not exist without Israel

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has repeated his claim that the United States would not exist without Israel, despite comments by US President Donald Trump that Israel would not exist without the United States.

Speaking at a conference organised by the Jewish News Agency in West Jerusalem on Sunday, Huckabee said he had sparked controversy when he stated that “without Israel and its Jewish foundation, there would be no America.”

He argued that Western civilisation was built on Jewish and Judeo-Christian foundations.

“Without that, there would be no United States. It’s that simple,” Huckabee said.

Huckabee noted that US-Israeli relations had experienced tensions over the past week, but added that “there is an unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel”.

Last Tuesday, speaking at a settlement conference in the southern occupied West Bank, Huckabee said: “Without Israel, without the Jewish foundation, there would not be America.”

His remarks came hours after Trump addressed reporters about possible US involvement in the war against Iran, saying: “Without me and without the United States, there would be no Israel.”