Trump nominates Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel in the new Trump administration, President-elect Trump announced Tuesday.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, is another in a growing list of strong Israel supporters who are said or reported to be in Trump's next administration. Trump has vowed to strengthen U.S. ties with Israel as the country wages wars against the Iran-backed terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

“I am pleased to announce that highly respected former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has been named U.S. Ambassador to Israel,” Trump said in a statement.

“Mike has been a great public servant, governor and faith leader for many years. He loves Israel and the people of Israel, and the people of Israel love him in the same way. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East!”

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Huckabee served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He had previously sought the Republican nomination for president in both 2008 and 2016 and surprisingly won the Iowa caucuses in 2008. Between presidential elections, Huckabee hosted the Fox News show “Huckabee” from 2008 to 2015.

He is the father of current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who previously served as White House press secretary in the first Trump administration.

Sanders said she was “incredibly proud” when she learned her father had been nominated for the post in the Trump administration.

“I traveled to Israel for the first time with my father when I was eleven and it changed my life. There is no one President Trump could have chosen with greater love for the Israeli people and greater commitment to the unbreakable bond between America and Israel than him,” she posted on X. “I love you, Dad!”

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Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee moderates a panel discussion with Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center on October 29, 2024 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Huckabee has led paid tour group visits to Israel for years, often promoting the trips in conservative-leaning news outlets. He has defended Israeli settlements in the West Bank and expressed skepticism about the Palestinian statehood movement in public statements, saying in 2008 that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian.”

He repeated the claim in a 2015 interview with The Washington Post, stating: “The idea that they have a long history, going back hundreds or thousands of years, is not true.”

David Friedman, who was Trump's ambassador to Israel during his first term, said in a statement he was “thrilled” by Huckabee's nomination.

“He is a dear friend and he will have my full support,” Friedman said. “Congratulations, Mike, on getting the best job in the world!”

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In this handout image provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Republican U.S. presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckbee in Jerusalem, Israel, on August 19, 2015. During his visit, Huckabee controversially referred to the Palestinian territory in the West Bank as part of Israel. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO via Getty Images)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar welcomed the appointment in a statement.

“I look forward to working with you to strengthen the bond between our peoples,” Sa'ar said. “As a long-time friend of Israel and our eternal capital Jerusalem, I hope you will feel at home.”

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Huckabee's nomination adds to the list of Israeli allies in the new Trump administration, after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was nominated to be the next secretary of state State.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.