Today, former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee began a three-day tour of Israel.
Huckabee will visit the City of David, Abu Dis and Hevron, but the most controversial place he will visit is Jerusalem's Shepherd's Hotel on Monday evening. The hotel has been a flash point between the Obama administration and Netanyahu's government.
Last month, the U.S. State Department asked Israel to stop construction at the hotel - owned by an American Jewish man - since it's located in east Jerusalem, the possible site of a future Palestinian capital. Israel refused.
Huckabee's visit emphasizes his support for the Israeli government's position, his opposition to Obama's Mideast policy and his support for a united Jerusalem. His stand earned the Fox News show host the nickname "Huckabee the Macabee" after the Jewish warriors who fought Greek invaders more than 2,000 years ago in the second century B.C.
Two groups - one for and one against Huckabee - plan to demonstrate tonight outside the Shepherd's Hotel. The controversy is one more example of how volatile the city of Jerusalem is and - for some - it is a testimony of what the prophet Zechariah wrote thousands of years ago, that the city itself will one day become a "stumbling stone" for the nations.