Tucker Carlson Claims Netanyahu Threatened Him and Two Family Members; Calls Israel 'Most Violent Country on Earth'

Tucker Carlson has claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally threatened him and at least two family members, making the explosive allegation in a podcast episode released on 21 February 2026 following a brief visit to Israel. The remarks have drawn widespread attention, sparking fierce debate within American conservative circles over US-Israel relations and Carlson's increasingly combative posture towards the Israeli government.

The right-wing commentator said he had persistently sought a meeting with Netanyahu, contacting as many as eight officials to arrange even a five-minute sit-down with the Israeli premier. Former Fox News anchor Melissa Francis, who helped facilitate the meeting, confirmed Carlson had tried to reach Netanyahu through intermediaries but was rebuffed, with Francis saying he 'was not interested.' Carlson said the effort was partly motivated by a direct threat to people close to him.

'He Was Going After My Family, Literally'

Speaking ahead of his interview with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Carlson said: 'There was a threat to my family. The Israeli government, and Netanyahu himself, tried to punish two members of my family. I won't be more specific, but actually punish two members of my family because he, as he has said in public many times, believes in blood guilt, Amalek.'

Carlson tied the alleged threat to what he described as Netanyahu's belief in collective punishment, saying: 'You know, when someone commits a crime against you, you punish not just him, but his family, his bloodline.' He added: 'There's no idea that's less Western than that, more anti-Christian than that. Christians reject that. Netanyahu doesn't. That's why he's talking about Amalek, and he was going after my family, literally, so I felt very threatened by that.'

Carlson did not provide any further details or offer evidence to substantiate the claim.

A Trip That Never Left the Airport

The interview with Huckabee was conducted at Ben Gurion Airport during Carlson's visit to Israel on 18 February 2026 and released as part of a podcast episode on 21 February. Carlson never left the airport's VIP terminal, though Huckabee had invited him to spend several days in the country. The visit was clouded by controversy before the interview had even been released.

Carlson alleged that Israeli security officials had taken his team's passports and hauled his executive producer 'into a side room' and 'demanded to know' what was discussed with Huckabee. Both the Israel Airports Authority and the US Embassy firmly rejected the claim. The IAA stated that 'contrary to the reports, Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated,' adding the group were 'politely asked a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travellers.'

Reports also emerged that Israeli authorities had briefly discussed whether to bar Carlson from entering the country over his past comments — something they have done with other prominent critics of Israel — but ultimately decided to avoid a diplomatic incident.

Carlson's Broader Claims on Israel

The family threat was far from the only explosive claim in the episode. In his opening monologue, Carlson called Israel 'probably the most violent country in the world' and pressed Huckabee on whether Ashkenazi Jews, including Netanyahu, had a genuine connection to the land of Israel.

Carlson asked Huckabee: 'Why don't we do genetic testing on everybody in the land and find out who Abram's descendants are?' adding that 'Bibi's family, we know they lived in Eastern Europe. There's no evidence they ever lived here.' Huckabee later denounced the line of questioning on social media as rooted in an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

Carlson also told Huckabee that Israeli President Isaac Herzog 'apparently was at Pedo Island' — an allegation based on a single name in the Epstein file release that no major investigative outlet has verified as a reference to the Israeli president, and for which no visit has been confirmed.

Days later, Carlson gave a separate interview on Saudi state television describing Netanyahu as 'completely evil and completely destructive,' saying: 'He's hurting the United States, and he's destroying his own country, and I think he imperils the world.'

Republican Fallout and Wider Reaction

Within 24 hours of the episode going online, the foreign ministers of 14 Arab and Muslim governments jointly condemned remarks Huckabee made suggesting Israel had a rightful claim to large swaths of the Middle East, calling them 'dangerous and inflammatory' and a violation of international law.

Carlson had told Francis that President Donald Trump personally asked him to help rein in the growing Republican fight over Israel, out of concern it was benefiting the Democratic Party. Francis described the exchange as 'long, productive, and emotional,' saying Huckabee 'called him out on all those things and challenged him and corrected him.'

Carlson's remarks represent one of the sharpest public breaks between a prominent American right-wing media figure and the Israeli government in recent memory. His allegations — made without specific evidence and disputed by independent fact-checkers — arrive at a moment of intense internal debate within the Republican Party over its relationship with Israel. Whether or not the specific claims gain traction, they signal a growing willingness among influential voices on the American right to openly challenge longstanding pro-Israel consensus positions, with real consequences for the transatlantic political conversation.