US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sparked widespread controversy after calling on Lebanese people to “thank Israel for its contributions in technology and agriculture”.
Speaking at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange during the Atlas Award 2026 ceremony, Huckabee said Lebanese people should thank Israel for its contributions to mobile phones, USB storage devices, car navigation systems, as well as cherry tomatoes and seedless watermelon.
“I wonder if everyone in Lebanon understands that if there were no Israel, they wouldn’t have a cell phone,” the American diplomat said.
He added: “I wonder if they understand that every time they use a USB, every time they use car navigation, every time they eat a cherry tomato or have a delicious bite of seedless watermelon, instead of saying ‘I can’t talk to those people,’ they should step across the border, shake the hands, and say ‘Thank you.”
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