Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Monday called for the immediate resignation of Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, accusing him of repeatedly failing to condemn the mistreatment of American citizens by the Israeli government.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister with long-standing ties to evangelical Christian tourism in Israel, was confirmed as ambassador earlier this year. His appointment was welcomed by Israeli officials but drew scrutiny from lawmakers who questioned whether his history of unflinching support for Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank would compromise his ability to advocate for US citizens — including Palestinian Americans — in the country.

In a video posted on social media, Van Hollen detailed multiple instances in which US citizens have been detained or subjected to abuse by Israeli security forces, while Huckabee has remained unresponsive.

"On his watch, we continue to see American citizens being mistreated, wrongfully detained," Van Hollen said. He cited the recent detentions of 20-year-old American citizen Sama Safi and 16-year-old Adam Karakrah as examples.

Van Hollen noted that he and more than two dozen fellow US senators have pressed Huckabee to hold Israel accountable for "the killings of nine Americans over just the last four years" — deaths caused either by Israeli settlers in the West Bank or by members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"And yet, no accountability," Van Hollen said. "No justice."

The call for accountability comes amid growing congressional pressure over US citizens' safety in Israel and the West Bank. The State Department has for years fielded complaints from families of Palestinian Americans who say consular officials have been slow to intervene in detention and injury cases. Senator Van Hollen has previously been among the most vocal Democrats pressing for transparency on these files.

The Maryland senator also criticized Huckabee for falling short of his professed concern for the Palestinian Christian community. Van Hollen pointed to a rise in violent settler attacks on Christian villages in the West Bank, carried out, he said, with impunity.

"And when asked about this, Ambassador Huckabee said, 'Well, look at me. I'm a Christian and I think I'm doing OK here in the Holy Land,'" Van Hollen recounted.

"And that exposes the entire problem," Van Hollen continued. "Because what Ambassador Huckabee is talking about is visitors to the Holy Land, Christian visitors, including evangelicals who come on the kind of tours that Ambassador Huckabee used to lead. Well, what about the Christians who have lived in the Holy Land for thousands and thousands of years?"

The senator suggested that Huckabee "doesn't care" because he "has become a complete apologist for the most extreme Israeli government in history."

"He should be defending Americans and defending American interests," Van Hollen concluded. "He's failed to do so. He should resign today."