Israel denies podcaster Tucker Carlson’s claims he was detained at airport

After conducting an interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, talk show host Tucker Carlson said he was detained by Israeli police, that his team was questioned, and that officials confiscated his passport, according to comments made exclusively to the Daily Mail. The former Fox News host flew to Tel Aviv on Wednesday to interview Huckabee, but he did not leave the airport.

How do Israeli officials describe the encounter? Israeli officials dispute Carlson’s characterization. In an email to WORLD, Or Avi Guy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, said that Carlson was allowed to leave the airport but chose not to. Instead, he chose to conduct the interview in a VIP airport lounge, she said. A few hours later, once they were ready to leave, Carlson and his team were subjected to the same passport control procedures every person flying out of Ben Gurion Airport receives, according to the statement. But Carlson said he was interrogated and his producer was taken to a separate room.

What happened? According to Carlson’s comments, as reported by the Daily Mail, officials interrogated him about what he discussed with Huckabee. He called the experience bizarre but said he left the country safely. Carlson is known for criticizing both Israel and Huckabee for both theological and foreign policy positions. In a post on X, Huckabee said that everyone traveling through Israel, including himself, have their passports checked and are asked routine questions. The Israel Foreign Ministry also posted on X that no one was interrogated and no unusual incident occurred. The ministry also said Carlson’s party was questioned in a separate room of the VIP lounge in order to preserve their privacy. According to the Israeli Airport Authority, it is not uncommon for officials to ask a few or many questions when reviewing passports.

Dig deeper: Read my report in WORLD Magazine on right-wing anti-Semitism and what Carlson has said about Huckabee and Israel in the past.