U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told CBN News that the ongoing conflict with Hamas is not only geopolitical but spiritual, calling the terrorist group “demonic” in its actions and intentions.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
“It’s not because of Israel. It’s because of Hamas,” Huckabee said about the length and brutality of the war. “Israel would love for this to have ended on October the 8th of 2023, but Hamas stubbornly wants to inflict as much suffering as possible, not just on Israel. They don’t mind inflicting suffering on their own people, which they have done.”
Hostages and Gaza Campaign
Huckabee said Israel has been left with no choice but to push deeper into Gaza after Hamas repeatedly stalled hostage talks. “Hamas will walk up to the table and pretend they’re going to make some type of deal that would let the hostages go and then they always walk away and then they add new conditions,” he said.
He added that the president has been clear about the conditions to end the war. “Two things had to happen. One, all the hostages come home. Not some, all of them. And the second thing he said is that Hamas has no future in Gaza. They’re going to have to leave.”
Europe’s Push for Palestinian Statehood
Huckabee criticized recent efforts in Europe to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. “It was the most insane thing when the European countries did this. First of all, it’s a violation of the Oslo Accords. So that’s a problem. They can’t declare a Palestinian state. They just can’t do that,” he said.
He argued that the push “empowered Hamas and emboldened them” while undermining chances for deescalation. “What they are accomplishing is the polar opposite of what they say they want.”
Media Bias and Public Opinion
The ambassador acknowledged Israel’s struggle in the war of public opinion, blaming both media bias and misinformation. “The monolithic media is so against them,” Huckabee said. “United Nations puts out whatever they say through the quote Gaza Health Ministry, that’s Hamas. They’ll issue numbers and stories, the UN then publishes it without verifying any of it. Every network pretty much in the world will carry it as if it’s so.”
He said Israel must do more to reach younger generations. “I tell them to get a bunch of social media influencers because the real problem is with Generation Z. That’s where they’re losing ground and that then affects as it bubbles up to generations above.”
A Spiritual Conflict
Beyond politics, Huckabee described the struggle in stark spiritual terms. “Most people view this as a battle between Hamas and Israel. There’s something much deeper going on,” he said. “This is a battle of the ages. This is not horizontal. It’s not left, right, liberal, conservative. This is a vertical battle. It’s heaven versus hell. It’s good versus evil.”
He said the atrocities of Oct. 7 proved Hamas’s nature. “What Hamas did was a level of evil the likes of which you just look throughout all history and would be hard pressed to find anything like it. Where does that come from? It comes from an evil that originates from the most demonic forces that have ever been unleashed on this earth.”
Call to Prayer
Huckabee urged Christians to continue praying for Israel. “The scripture tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And I would say that there’s a reason that that’s in the scripture. Because we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem. If there’s peace in Jerusalem, there’ll be peace around the world.”
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
He added, “Prayer will change things. But prayer also always changes the person who is praying. That’s why we pray.”
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
