US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in provocative 'prayer' visit to East Jerusalem's Western Wall

Newly appointed envoy Mike Huckabee marked his first official appearance as US ambassador to Israel by visiting the Western Wall on Friday, located near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, where he placed a prayer-letter said to be written by US President Donald Trump. 

Following his confirmation by the US Senate earlier this week, Huckabee stated during his visit to the holy site that Trump had personally handed him the note containing a written prayer.  

He placed the paper in a crevice of the wall, imitating long-standing Jewish tradition. 

Accompanied by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, rabbi of the Western Wall, the right-wing Israel supporter claimed the prayer expressed Trump’s hope for peace and for the return of the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza.

Israel’s devastating attacks on the Palestinian territory have killed scores of people in recent days. 

"My first act as ambassador was to take his prayer- praying for the peace of Jerusalem - and to bring it to the Wall, and to pray that there would in fact be peace in the land," Huckabee said. 

"I also come with a prayer that all of the hostages will come home now, and that we will bring them home," he added. 

 "And that is the prayer of the President as well."

During his speech at the Western Wall, Huckabee also praised Trump’s pro-Israel stance, reaffirming that his administration had recognised "Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, recognised the Golan Heights, moved the US embassy here, and [made] many more acts of friendship and alliance." 

Huckabee’s visit to the holy site - known as the Buraq Wall to Muslims and the Wailing Wall to Jews comes as the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover reaches its final weekend, a period that has seen a surge in Israeli extremist stormings of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. 

The US envoy, a devout Evangelical Christian and former talk show host, is a long-time pro-Israel advocate who has staunchly supported illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Following his appearance, Huckabee emphasised US-Israeli ties during a press briefing, claiming - as Israel continued to bomb the tents of displaced people in Gaza with US-provided weapons - that these were based on "the Judeo-Christian understanding that every life has worth and value".

Huckabee also described his appointment as US ambassador to Israel as a personal milestone, rooted in his religious beliefs. 

"If I was Jewish and came as an ambassador, they would say, 'of course, he supports Israel, he’s Jewish, he doesn’t have a choice.' I say to them – I have a choice, and I make my choice to support Israel," Huckabee said. 

The confirmation of Trump’s nominee drew opposition from US opponents of Israel's brutal war on Gaza critics, including Democrats, over Huckabee’s past and current statements on Israel and Palestine.  

During a 2017 visit to a settlement in the occupied West Bank - territory seized by Israel in the 1967 war - Huckabee asserted that there was "no such thing as an occupation" and previously said that there was "no such thing as a Palestinian".

He has since received praise from prominent figures within Israel’s extremist settler movement, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich - himself a West Bank settler - who expressed eagerness to collaborate with the US envoy on "advancing our shared values and common goals".

Since 18 March alone, 1,691 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, after Israel broke a ceasefire and resumed deadly bombing of the devastated territory.

In total, more than 51,000 Palestinians - the majority women and children - have been killed since Israel launched its assault on Gaza over 18 months ago, the ministry reports.