US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and former Gaza hostage Yarden Bibas together dedicated an olive tree to murdered Gaza hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas at a ceremony in the northern Israeli community of Moshav HaYogev on Thursday.
"The sacrifice that your family made for the people of Israel is one that obviously is not being forgotten," Huckabee told Yarden and Ofri during the dedication. The dedication event was done through the My Tree in Israel initiative, through which Huckabee, US President Donald Trump, and many others have trees sponsored in their names.
"With the plaque on the tree, it's a reminder that life is still coming. The olives, every year, will produce wonderful, beautiful olive oil that you'll be able to have and share, and know that it's in memory of Shiri and your two sons."
Yarden Bibas and his wife Shiri, along with their sons, four-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir, were taken hostage during the October 7 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel. Only Yarden was returned alive.
The event also saw the dedication of a tree to Ambassador Huckabee’s daughter, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The sign on Ambassador Huckabee’s tree was also updated to reflect his position as ambassador, replacing the former “Governor Mike Huckabee” sign.
Also at the event, Avi Harush, the father of Sgt. Reef Harush, a soldier who was killed in combat in southern Gaza in April 2024, presented Huckabee and his wife, Janet Huckabee, with a tree that was planted in his memory.
Harush, who was 20 years old when he fell in battle along with three older soldiers in the Oz Brigade, had been undergoing training in the commando training school.
Speaking to Harush, Huckabee commended his son’s sacrifice, saying that Sgt. Harush’s sacrifice was also made on behalf of Americans.
Huckabee: Fallen IDF soldiers also protecting Americans
“Anything that happens to Israel is going to happen to Americans because there are so many of us who are here,” he said. “When someone falls in battle, they’re certainly fighting for Israel, but they are also defending the 700,000 US citizens who are here as well.”
Avi Harush thanked the ambassador, saying that, with the dedication of the tree, “I think that now [Reef] is happy.”
Following the ceremony, My Tree in Israel CEO Kobi Assaf hosted the ambassador for a tour of the local olive press facility, which My Tree in Israel says is the largest in the Middle East.
My Tree in Israel lets supporters abroad adopt an Israeli olive tree, grapevine, or whisky-barrel share, supporting local farmers while receiving annual products from their plot and the chance to visit it. More information is available on the organization’s website.