ISTANBUL

President Donald Trump’s decision to skip Israel during his four-day Middle East trip this week is not a snub, said the US ambassador to Israel.

Trump’s trip, which starts Tuesday and includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, “is about economic opportunity. That’s where his focus is," Mike Huckabee told Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday.

"What he’s doing is not because he’s snubbing Israel. There are 200 nations in the world, almost, so there are a lot of them he hasn’t gone to yet, a lot of them he isn’t going to right away – he’s spent more time with the prime minister of Israel (Benjamin Netanyahu) than he has with any other world leader. I think that says a lot."

Huckabee assured Israelis that Trump remains a strong ally, saying: "Donald Trump loves you, there’s no doubt about that, he’s got your back.”

On concerns of a potential US-Israel rift, Huckabee dismissed reports that Trump had "thrown Netanyahu under the bus" as "very unfair," stressing their "cordial relationship."

Writing on X, he said: "It’s reckless and irresponsible for press to allege that POTUS (President of the United States) and @IsraeliPM are not getting along. The relationship between US and Israel remains STRONG!"

He also called rumors that Trump would recognize a "State of Palestine" during his trip "nonsense," hitting back at a report in the Jerusalem Post, which cited a "Gulf diplomatic source."

In the Channel 13 interview, Huckabee addressed recent US nuclear talks with Iran, stating that the US would support Israel’s right to act independently if it sees Iran as a threat.

"Israel has the right to do what it has to do," he said, stressing that Trump respects Israel's autonomy on such matters.

But he added that the White House would offer "recommendations" in such circumstances.