A recent Pew Research Center poll shows that Americans' view of Israel have reversed over the past several years.
In 2022, Israel had a net favorable rating of plus-13 points among U.S. adults; by 2026, just four years, it had flipped to a net unfavorable rating of minus-23 points. The trend is being led by young Americans, who are also behind the rise of Democratic Socialism on the Left.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, speaking on American Family Radio last Thursday, said the best way to reverse the trend and safeguard the U.S./Israeli relationship into the future is for American pastors to engage.
“I'm really concerned that a lot of pulpits have gone cool with cowardice. There needs to be biblical truth poured out from pulpits across America,” he told the “Today’s Issues” hosts.
Huckabee said if these kids have no understanding of their innate relationship with their Jewish heritage and with God's plan for Israel, then he has a question:
“Who's their pastor? Why is he not speaking the truth? Is he afraid that he's going to be considered political by doing so? My goodness, I hope not.”
He says a social media strategy will help too, because the influence from the billions of dollars flowing in from places like Qatar are influencing young minds. So is New York’s new mayor, and not in a good way.
“They're getting their news off of TikTok and X and Facebook and Instagram, and most of the time, they're getting information that is just about as wrongheaded as Mayor Mamdani out of New York is.”
Mike Huckabee identifies foreign influence in schools and social media as the primary drivers of declining support for Israel among young Americans, particularly within the evangelical community.
He argues that Gulf-state funding of university Middle East studies programs and "poisonous" online content have created a "false understanding" of the region, leading to a generational divide.
Huckabee advocates for educational travel as the "best antidote" to these trends, saying that first-hand exposure to Israel disproves accusations of apartheid or genocide.
