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On a visit to Israel this week, Mark Walker, ambassador-designate for international religious freedom, said he was “overwhelmed” by meeting families of hostages and survivors of Hamas captivity, highlighting what he called the “spiritual and historical bond” between the United States and Israel.
Walker, a former Republican congressman and Baptist pastor from North Carolina, was named by President Donald Trump as the country’s top global envoy for religious freedom. He will officially assume the position after being confirmed by the Senate and will become the seventh American to hold the role since it was created by Congress in 1998.
He explained that his visit to Israel was motivated by both friendship and time. “All these other historic landmark deals are happening the same week we’re here,” Walker said. “It is amazing to see the enthusiasm – literally banners hanging from buildings and parks thanking President Trump for his ongoing efforts and the strength he has shown to move the region forward. towards peace,
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Ambassador-designate Mark Walker, center, visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, in October 2025. (Warren Cohn)
Walker said he was particularly impressed by his meetings with hostage families.
“I was humbled to spend some time with Keith Siegel, who endured 483 days of captivity and torture, and with ruby chainWhose son, Itay, was killed by Hamas – his body is still not back,” Walker said. “To hear the passion in Ruby’s voice, to see her tenacity, is overwhelming. In America we are watching this from a distance. But being here on the ground, seeing how the community has stood together for these hostages – alive or dead – has impacted me in a different way.”
He said the experience has deepened his appreciation of Israel’s resilience. “The people of Israel have stood strong in the face of evil,” he said. “Their faith and courage remind the world what strength looks like.”
As US officials visit Israel to monitor the fragile ceasefire, Walker said he has full confidence in the administration’s leadership.
Ambassador-designate for religious freedom Mark Walker with freed hostage Keith Siegel and Ruby Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen. (Warren Cohn)
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“I have no trust in hamas Based on his history,” he said. “But I have a lot of confidence in President Trump and what he’s doing. He is committed to peace and is demonstrating it with his actions – sending Vice President Vance, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff here this week.”
He also praised the Secretary of State marco rubio To advance the administration’s diplomatic agenda. “This is not a photo opportunity,” Walker said. “This is a real plan for long-term sustainability.”
Asked how he viewed the importance of Israel, Walker reflected on his years in Congress.
“I think historically, we have a long-standing relationship of supporting each other in times of crisis as well as in times of success,” he said. “Certainly, military and trade relationships, but from a spiritual perspective, America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.”
He added, “When you sit in the House chamber where President Trump delivers the State of the Union, there are 22 or 23 philosophers — brilliant great men — depicted above. But there is only one historical figure who is looking directly at the speaker’s podium, and that’s Moses. That tells you a lot about the spiritual connection that binds our two countries.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Knesset as President Donald Trump and Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana look on at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)
When Walker was asked about criticism from some within the evangelical community regarding closer ties with Israel, he said he welcomes open discussion but rejects efforts to undermine the partnership. “I have no problem with anyone raising questions – we need to be able to protect those relationships,” he said. “But when you see some of the things that have been said recently that are aimed at damaging that relationship, perhaps for personal gain or attention, then I have a problem with that, and I think it should be condemned.”
He said that such views are far from the mainstream. He said, “The evangelical communities that I’m part of – and I’m a member of the largest Protestant organization in the United States – they don’t have these issues.” “There may be some people who are loosely affiliated and use that kind of rhetoric, but the overwhelming majority of evangelicals in America appreciate and encourage our relationship with Israel.”
Attendees wave flags of Israel and the United States at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit in Arlington, Virginia on July 17, 2023. The GOP presidential candidates for 2024 are making their case to the pro-Israel group. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On his new role, Walker said the mission was deeply personal.
“When President Trump approached us and asked us to serve as ambassadors for international religious freedom — it’s a global position — it was humbling,” he said. “The responsibility is to advocate for people of all religions, especially where they are persecuted or punished under blasphemy laws.”
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Walker said he is already building relationships with governments and religious leaders in preparation for his official role advising both President Trump and Secretary Rubio.
“Our job is to engage, expose and eradicate atrocities – whether it’s the genocide of Christians in Nigeria, the targeting of Druze in Syria or rising anti-Semitism around the world,” he said. “The United States must remain a beacon of hope for religious freedom. We are the only country that has this written into law.”
He said that Israel’s example of tolerance comes to the fore in the Middle East. “Christians should be able to live peacefully, share their faith and worship without fear,” he said. “The fact that Israel allows this in an area where many others do not is meaningful.”
US President Donald Trump signs the agreement for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on October 13, 2025. Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein (Reuters)
Walker said his plan is to “push back on persecution wherever it exists – whether through diplomacy or urging governments to repeal blasphemy and anti-conversion laws.”
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He concluded, “President Trump is the only president in American history to call a global conference on religious freedom at the United Nations,” Walker said. “It sent a message around the world – that trust matters, that freedom matters. What we see here in Israel is that same spirit of courage, and it reminds us why this partnership rooted in trust and freedom must endure.”
