Washington — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has selected former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
“Mike has been a great public servant, governor, and leader in faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “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 post requires approval by the Senate, though Huckabee is unlikely to face major obstacles to confirmation in the upper chamber, where Republicans are expected to hold at least 52 seats in the next Congress.
Huckabee is among the early picks announced by the president-elect as he begins building out his Cabinet and other key posts. Among those are Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Michael Waltz as national security adviser. Sources say he is expected to tap Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, though the selection is not finalized.
Huckabee served as Arkansas’ governor from 1996 to 2007 and unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016. After leaving office, he hosted a show on Fox News and a radio program. He is a staunch defender of Israel and has said he has visited the country more than 100 times over the course of 50 years.
During his first term, Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his first term, which President Biden maintained.
If confirmed next year, Huckabee will take over the post amid Isreal’s war with Hamas and Hamas’ holding of dozens of Israeli hostages, including four American citizens. Discussions about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly stalled, and on Saturday, Qatar, a mediator with Hamas, announced it had suspended its efforts and would resume them when “the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the ongoing suffering of civilians.”
Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, said in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that he believes “the environment has totally changed” following Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has spoken with Trump three times in recent days and called the conversations “good and very important.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Mr. Biden at the White House on Tuesday.
More than 1,200 civilians were killed and 250 were abducted when Hamas launched its terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Roughly 100 hostages are believed to be still in Gaza, although a third are thought to be dead. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, though it is unclear how many are civilians and how many are militants.
Following the start of Israel’s war with Hamas, Iran-allied Hezbollah, began firing rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon into Israel.