New US Ambassador Prays At Western Wall, Delivers Trump’s Message Of Peace.
The new United States ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, marked the beginning of his diplomatic mission with a symbolic gesture of peace on Friday, placing a handwritten prayer from President Donald Trump into the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Huckabee, a former Republican governor and long-time supporter of Israel, visited the revered Jewish site wearing a traditional kippa, fulfilling what he described as a special directive from President Trump.
“It was such an honour, an incredible privilege, to place on behalf of the President of the United States, President Donald J. Trump, a prayer that he wrote in his own hand and initialled,” Huckabee told reporters.
The note, which bore Trump’s initials “D.T.”, simply read: “For Peace in Israel.”
Huckabee said Trump handed him the message personally at the White House with clear instructions: the first act he should undertake as ambassador was to deliver the prayer. “He asked me to bring it and place it in the wall, with the best wishes and the prayers of the American people for the peace of Jerusalem,” he said.
The Western Wall, situated in East Jerusalem – a territory occupied and later annexed by Israel – is the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray, and holds profound religious and historical significance as the last remnant of the Second Temple, destroyed in 70 CE.
The ambassador also offered his own prayer at the site, calling for the return of hostages still held in Gaza. “We will bring them home, and that is the prayer of the president as well,” he added.
Huckabee presented his diplomatic credentials on Thursday to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, amid Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel. The attack resulted in the capture of 251 people, with 58 still believed to be held in Gaza, including 34 reportedly deceased.
On the same day as Huckabee’s prayer offering, Hamas rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal. The plan reportedly included a 45-day truce in exchange for the release of 10 hostages, the liberation of Palestinian prisoners, and increased humanitarian aid. However, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya insisted the group seeks a comprehensive agreement involving a full ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the beginning of Gaza’s reconstruction.
Despite the complexities of the ongoing conflict, Huckabee’s gesture has been welcomed as a symbolic expression of hope and a renewed call for peace in a region that continues to endure deep-rooted tension.
