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President-elect Trump names Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel

Huckabee ‘loves Israel and the people of Israel and likewise, the people of Israel love him,’ Trump declared.

By JNS

President-elect Donald Trump announced that the “great public servant, governor, and leader in faith for many years” and “highly respected” Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, will be the U.S. ambassador to Israel during the next administration.

Huckabee “loves Israel and the people of Israel and likewise, the people of Israel love him,” Trump stated. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.”

A Southern Baptist pastor and governor for more than a decade, Huckabee sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and 2016.

A staunch supporter of the Jewish state on biblical beliefs, the former governor has visited Israel many times and led thousands of U.S. Christians on solidarity tours over the past half-century. His first trip to Israel right out of high school was just before the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

Huckabee backed the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and has worked to fight attempts by the BDS movement to isolate Israel.

In the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border terrorist massacre in southern Israeli towns, Huckabee led evangelical leaders on a visit to the hard-hit communities along the border with the Gaza Strip.

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“After 50 years of coming here, nothing has prepared me for this visit,” he said after walking through the charred remains of a border kibbutz.

He told JNS at the time that the ignorance so many Americans display about the war was a searing indictment of the educational system, which indoctrinates college students with a warped worldview.

In August 2018, Huckabee laid a ceremonial brick at the Israeli city of Efrat in Judea and said he might one day buy a “holiday home” there.

“If President Trump could be here today, he’d be a very happy man,” he stated at the time, standing in front of a red sign that said “Build Israel Great Again.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition is “thrilled” with the nomination.

“As a man of deep faith, we know Gov. Huckabee’s abounding love of Israel and its people is second to none,” the RJC said. “As the Jewish state continues to fight an existential war for survival against Iran and its terrorist proxies, Gov. Huckabee will represent America’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s security with distinction.”

David Friedman, who served as the U.S. envoy to Israel during Trump’s first presidency and was reportedly under consideration for the role again, stated that Huckabee is “a dear friend and he will have my full support.

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“Congrats Mike on getting the best job in the world,” Friedman wrote.

“It speaks volumes to the importance and priority that President Trump places on the U.S.-Israel relationship that he selected his ambassador to Israel within one week of his election,” Friedman added. “The selection itself—Mike Huckabee is one of Israel’s greatest friends—tells us that the days of public daylight between the U.S. and Israel are about to end.”