The former Fox News host traveled to Tel Aviv to speak with Mike Huckabee, who challenged Carlson to speak directly to him after an online spat about the country’s treatment of Christians.
Carlson, who often criticizes Israel for its military actions in Gaza, accepted Huckabee’s invitation.
But while Carlson was called out by critics and pro-Israel activists for allegedly not leaving the airport during his brief visit, he revealed he was met with hostility in the Middle Eastern country.
Carlson exclusively told the Daily Mail that shortly after the interview, Israeli officials confiscated his passport and took his executive producer away for questioning.
“Men posing as airport security took our passports, took our executive producer into a separate room and demanded to know what we discussed with Ambassador Huckabee,” Carlson told the Daily Mail.
“It was bizarre. Now we’re out of the country.”
Before the interview, Carlson posted a photo on the X network of himself and his business partner Neil Patel outside Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday with the message: “Greetings from Israel.”
“It’s a shame that Tucker stayed at the airport despite numerous invitations to see many wonderful places. A huge and obviously intentional missed opportunity,” said David Friedman, a former US ambassador to Israel during Trump’s first term.
Two sources familiar with the case told the Daily Mail that the Israeli government was initially reluctant to allow Carlson into the country, leading to sensitive negotiations involving the State Department.
In the end, the Israeli government decided not to deny him entry to avoid a “diplomatic incident,” according to a Channel 13 report.
A spokesman for the US Embassy in Israel denied that Carlson was detained, claiming that he “was asked the same questions at passport control that countless visitors to Israel, including Ambassador Huckabee and other diplomats, are asked as part of the normal procedure for entering and exiting Israel.”
“It is not true that Israel planned to allow Tucker in just for an interview,” the spokesman added. “The Embassy’s only involvement with Israel regarding his visit was to coordinate the landing of his private jet to allow for a smooth visit. It was Tucker who chose to stay in the country for only a few hours and then leave. And Tucker received the same positive treatment as any other visitor to Israel.”
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office for comment.
On his YouTube show last week, Carlson accused Huckabee of failing to provide adequate protections for Christians in Israel.
Huckabee, who has known Carlson for more than three decades and previously worked with him at Fox News, responded with an invitation to come to Israel for an interview.
“Instead of talking about me, why don’t you come talk to me?” wrote Huckabee on Network X. Carlson responded that he was accepting the invitation, noting that they were working to set up an interview.
Israel’s popularity among young Republican voters and Trump supporters within the Republican Party is currently at an all-time low.
Ostensibly, the Carlson–Huckabee event was an attempt by the Trump administration to prevent discussions of Israel from undermining the unity of the conservative GOP coalition ahead of the midterm elections.
(Vijesti.ba)
