Trump taps Mike Huckabee to be top diplomat in Israel : NPR

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee moderates a roundtable discussion with then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Drexel Hill, Pa. In a statement, now-President-elect Trump announced he will nominate Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, as ambassador to Israel.

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, President-elect Trump said Tuesday.

Huckabee is a longtime supporter of Israel and a critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. He has previously spoken out against efforts to negotiate a ceasefire deal and called unauthorized settlements in the occupied West Bank “communities.”

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump wrote in a statement announcing the move. “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!”

Huckabee was a longtime evangelical minister before running for political office and regularly leads “The Israel Experience” trips that take tour groups to sites with Biblical and historical significance, like the Sea of Galilee, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Old City of Jerusalem.

In Jan. 2017, days before Trump took office the first time, Huckabee spoke in the West Bank in front of a banner vowing to “Build Israel Great Again” while touting the policy shift Trump’s administration would bring.

There are certain words I refuse to use,” he said “There is no such thing as a West Bank – it’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities. They’re neighborhoods. They’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.”

Huckabee’s selection comes as Israel’s conflicts against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon continue.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly claimed the war in Gaza would not have happened if he were in charge, and vowed to be Israel’s “protector” if elected, while also often criticizing Jewish voters that support Democrats.