Who is Mike Huckabee? Donald Trump's pick for US ambassador to Israel
Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump
US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday (Nov 12) announced Mike Huckabee as his pick for US ambassador to Israel in the Trump 2.0 administration.
In a statement, praising the pro-Israel pastor-turned-politician,Trump said,“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!,” he added, reinforcing his administration’s strong pro-Israel stance.
Huckabee's nomination must be confirmed by the US Senate before he assumes the position.
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Israel reacts to nomination
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Offering his congratulations to Mike Huckabee, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said,“I look forward to working with you to strengthen the bond between our peoples.”
“As a longstanding friend of Israel and our eternal capital, Jerusalem — I hope you will feel very much at home,” he added on X.
Who is Mike Huckabee?
69-year-old Mike Huckabee was born in Hope, Arkansas. He started his career as a staffer for televangelist James Robison, before moving on to serving as the pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from 1980 to 1986, and the Beech Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana, from 1986 to 1992.
He entered politics in 1992.
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Mike Huckabee's political career
Mike Huckabee ran his first political race in 1992 for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. Even though he received 40 per cent of the votes in the general election, he lost.
He went on to serve as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.
In 2008 and 2016, he was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination but fell short in bids.
His daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders served as Trump's White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019 and is the current governor of Arkansas.
Mike Huckabee's views
Huckabee is a pro-Israeli politician who has openly supported Israeli settlement building in the West Bank — which most of the international community views as illegal.
In 2017, Huckabee was present in Maale Adumim for the expansion of one of Israel's largest settlements.
Speaking to CNN at the time, he said,“There is no such thing as the West Bank -- it's Judea and Samaria.”
“There's no such thing as a settlement; they're communities, they're neighbourhoods, they're cities. There's no such thing as an occupation,” he added.
In Dec 2023, after the Hamas attack on Israel, he visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where dozens of Israelis were massacred in the October 7 attack and said,“I wanted to be here to say I stand with Israel. I stand with the Jewish people.”
Huckabee, as per reports, has been a regular visitor to Israel since 1973 and has led numerous evangelical tours there.
(With inputs from agencies)
