Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, twice presidential candidate, and television host, has been named as President-elect Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee will become the first evangelical Christian in the role.
In a statement Tuesday, Trump said:
I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be The United States Ambassador to Israel. Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. 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!
The selection of Huckabee, a Christian Zionist who has long supported the Jewish state, will delight pro-Israel advocates in both the Jewish and Christian communities.
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015. Huckabee on Wednesday vowed to abandon key American policies in the Mideast if he is elected next year, endorsing positions that would put the U.S. at odds with its closest allies. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Huckabee was considered for the role in 2016 before it was ultimately given to David Friedman, a Trump attorney who helped move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and ultimately helped forge the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states.
Huckabee is known for his support for Jewish communities in Judea and Samara, also known as the West Bank. Advocates for some of these communities have been targeted with sanctions by the Biden-Harris administration.
The land in that region is central to Jewish history in the region, but was occupied by Jordan from 1948 until 1967, when Jordan unwisely joined Arab states in attacking Israel. Israel fought back and conquered the land, which Palestinians now claim as their own.
Huckabee currently hosts Huckabee on TBN, an evangelical station that is the largest Christian network in the world.
As a presidential candidate, Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 before fading later in the Republican primary. He endorsed Trump before the Iowa caucuses in 2016.
Huckabee’s daughter, Sarah, is the current governor of Arkansas and previously served as White House Press Secretary in the first Trump administration.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
