Settlers Rejoice as Hard-Liner Mike Huckabee Picked for Israel Ambassador

The appointment of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel has received enthusiastic support from Israeli settler communities and advocates of the country’s territorial claims in the West Bank.

Huckabee, an Evangelical Christian who has previously expressed his belief that God granted historic Palestine to the modern state of Israel, is a strong advocate for Israel’s expansion in the occupied West Bank, which he refers to as Judea and Samaria. He also has a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following the appointment, Yishai Fleisher, spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron, expressed excitement, calling Huckabee a “great friend to Israel.”

“We are very excited about Mike Huckabee. Governor Huckabee is an amazing person, both in his spiritual and political awareness,” Fleisher told Newsweek. “He’s a great friend to Israel. He truly understands the issues, has a heart for the people of this region, and we’re thrilled to have him.”

Fleisher also pointed to Huckabee’s support for the controversial “Pompeo doctrine,” a policy initiated by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that recognized Jewish settlement rights in the West Bank.

Huckabee, the father of former Trump White House press secretary, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is a staunch defender of Israel. His intended nomination comes as President-elect Donald Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“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!”

Huckabee has led paid tour group visits to Israel for years, frequently advertising the trips on conservative news outlets. According to Axios, he wanted to be appointed ambassador to Israel during Trump’s first term in office, but Trump decided to appoint his former lawyer, David Friedman.

The new ambassador has also been a visible supporter of settler communities on the West Bank, famously stating that “There’s no such thing as an occupation.”

“I think Israel has title deed to Judea and Samaria,” Huckabee told CNN in 2017, using the Biblical terms for the West Bank. “There are certain words I refuse to use. 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 nomination, along with the recent appointment of Elise Stefanik as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, are the latest signals of support for Netanyahu’s hard-line government, which is already the most pro-settler in Israel’s history. Some on the Israeli right now hope that Trump’s second administration will be the most pro-settler ever in the U.S.