In the latest episode of The Jew and Gentile Podcast, Steve Herzig and I had the opportunity to speak with Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a longtime friend of the Jewish people and one of the clearest voices today on Israel and the Middle East.
Fresh off meetings in Washington, D.C. with President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Huckabee offered firsthand insights into discussions about the future of Israel in a new Middle East with the expanding reach of the Abraham Accords.
But it wasn’t the closed-door diplomacy that surprised him most—it was the streets of his own nation’s capital.
Twice, while walking through Washington, Huckabee was aggressively confronted by pro-Hamas protestors. “They recognized me, surrounded me, screamed at me,” he told us. “It made things so uncomfortable that about fifteen D.C. police had to intervene. That happened—not once—but twice.”
In a comment that startled many, Huckabee added, “I got to get out of this crazy town, Washington, and get back to Jerusalem, where I’m safe. People laughed—they thought it was a joke. I said, ‘No, I’m serious.’ I feel very comfortable and safe in Jerusalem. I do not feel that way in my own nation’s capital.”
Think about that.
A former governor and presidential candidate—targeted and heckled in the heart of American democracy—feels safer in Jerusalem than in Washington, D.C. What does that say about the state of our national discourse? And more importantly, where does it point us as people who are Biblically minded?
It points us to Zion.
In the ancient days of Israel, the prophet Micah envisioned a time in the future when peace wouldn’t be legislated from the palaces of human power, but from the holy mountain of God.
Micah 4:1–4 reads, “In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we walk in His paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples… they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”
What Micah describes isn’t a political ceasefire—it’s transformation. It’s not temporary relief brokered by diplomats—it’s lasting peace ushered in by the Lord Himself.
And that’s the contrast Huckabee felt so keenly. Washington is a place of power, but not peace. It’s a city filled with tension, noise, protest, and confusion. But Jerusalem—despite being surrounded by enemies—holds a remarkable sense of clarity and calm for those who understand its Biblical significance.
Jerusalem is where God’s promises converge. It’s where His Word was written, His Son was revealed and resurrected, and His kingdom will be established. When Huckabee says he feels safer in Jerusalem, he’s not just making a statement about crime or politics. He’s articulating something deeper—a spiritual alignment, a sense that in Zion, God’s purposes are unfolding, even amid present conflict.
It’s no surprise, then, that supporters of Israel are increasingly targeted in major US cities and on American college campuses. We are watching in real time as standing with God’s people is met not with applause, but with opposition. But the ancient call still stands: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.”
That mountain—Mount Zion—is where peace will come. Not Capitol Hill. Not the UN. Not any man-made institution. Peace begins with the Prince of Peace, and He has chosen Jerusalem as the city of His throne.
So as the noise of culture grows louder, and the pressures to compromise truth intensify, let us remember where true peace is found. It’s not in the fleeting treaties of men, but in the eternal promises of God.
Capitol Hill may pass laws—but Mount Zion will bring lasting justice. Washington may host summits—but Jerusalem will send out the Word of the Lord. And while ambassadors are shouted down in D.C., one day, nations will stream to Jerusalem to learn the ways of peace.
Just as the prophet Jeremiah foretold, the Holy Spirit writes God’s law upon our hearts—and in doing so, He directs our attention toward Zion, where the Word of the Lord will go forth and peace and justice will be made known.
