The US journalist had arrived in the country to interview the American ambassador, Mike Huckabee
US journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson has said he was briefly detained at Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday after taping an interview with the US ambassador to Israel.
Carlson, who frequently criticizes US aid to Israel, told the Daily Mail that Israeli officials took his passport and escorted his executive producer to an interrogation room.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said.
“It was bizarre. We’re now out of the country,” he added.
The United States Embassy in Israel denied Carlson’s claims, saying he was subjected to routine security checks at the airport.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee wrote on X: “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions. Even ME going in/out with Diplomatic Passport & Diplomatic Visa.”
According to The Jerusalem Post, Carlson did not leave the airport during his visit and conducted the interview with Huckabee inside the terminal.
Channel 13 reported that Israeli authorities considered barring the journalist from entering the country but ultimately decided against it to avoid a potential diplomatic incident.
In the past, Israel has blacklisted US politicians and activists critical of its policies toward the Palestinians. In 2019, Israel barred Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the country.
Carlson has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza and claimed that US policymakers were acting on behalf of what he described as the Israeli lobby.
Jewish rights groups have accused Carlson of promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and criticized him for inviting far-right activist Nick Fuentes to his podcast.