U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel. A close Trump ally and staunch supporter of Israel, Huckabee will take up the role at a critical time for the Middle East as Israel wages a multifront war against Iran’s proxies and as Gaza teeters on the brink of famine.
An ordained Southern Baptist pastor who served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, Huckabee has never served as a U.S. diplomat overseas.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel. A close Trump ally and staunch supporter of Israel, Huckabee will take up the role at a critical time for the Middle East as Israel wages a multifront war against Iran’s proxies and as Gaza teeters on the brink of famine.
An ordained Southern Baptist pastor who served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, Huckabee has never served as a U.S. diplomat overseas.
Huckabee regularly travels to Israel, leading tours popular among evangelical Christians, and has repeatedly spoken in favor of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and advocated for Israel to annex the territory.
Huckabee’s nomination comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also nominated a strong supporter of settlements, Yechiel Leiter, to serve as ambassador to the United States. On Monday, Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said he hoped Israel would push to annex parts of the West Bank in 2025, raising the prospect that the Israeli government may seek a green light from the United States to formally annex the Palestinian territory during Trump’s second term.
“Mike has been a great public servant, governor, and leader in faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice of Huckabee. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East!”
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