Israeli officials considered denying entry to Tucker Carlson ahead of an expected visit, but ultimately decided against it, according to a report by Bar Shem-Ur of HaTzinor on Tuesday.
In his post on X/Twitter, Shem-Ur wrote that Carlson was due to arrive in Israel after a trip to Jordan, and that “government sources” had weighed preventing his entry in recent days.
Versions of the same report circulated widely on Israeli social media and Telegram channels, with some reports adding that officials ultimately chose not to block Carlson to avoid harming Israel’s public diplomacy and to prevent a “diplomatic incident.”
Sheh-Ur is a veteran journalist and presenter associated with Channel 13.
Carlson vs. Huckabeee
The report surfaced during a public back-and-forth between Carlson and Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel.
In recent days, Carlson published a Middle East-related video containing content that criticized Huckabee’s handling of issues involving Christian communities, and Huckabee responded on X/Twitter by inviting Carlson to interview him, with Carlson replying that he wanted to do it.
Israeli authorities had not issued an official statement addressing the Channel 13 report at the time it circulated. No US official has confirmed this report yet.