West Palm Beach, Fla. | President Donald Trump announced today (Nov. 12) that he will appoint former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel during Trump’s second administration, which will begin upon his inauguration Jan. 20, 2025.
“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be The United States Ambassador to Israel,” Trump said in a statement.
“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!”
Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor, is an outspoken supporter of Israel, especially in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in the wake of Hamas’ attacks in October 2023. He has endorsed the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and has led several Christian tours of the Holy Land.
In an interview with Jewish News Syndicate earlier this year, Huckabee called Hamas’ actions “not just criminal, but evil.”
“I tell people this is not a political, sociological, economic battle. This is a spiritual battle,” he said. “This is as clear a definition between good and evil as we have seen in our lifetime and one of the most profound in all of history.”
Huckabee has been vocally opposed to a cease-fire in the conflict.
“This is like trying to negotiate with the Nazis in World War II. You just don’t,” he told NewsNation in June. “You beat them. You defeat them. You eradicate them.”
Huckabee sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016 in campaigns focused on social issues.
“We witnessed the slaughter of over 55 million babies in the name of choice, and we are now threatening the foundation of religious liberty by criminalizing Christianity and demanding that we abandon biblical principles of natural marriage,” he said in launching his 2016 campaign.
In 2017, he launched a self-titled television show on religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network. He told Baptist Press at the time that he hoped the show would be a vehicle for civil discourse.
“I want people to help me understand, not so much the ‘what’ of their belief system; tell me the ‘why,’” he said. “How’d you get there? What was it that led you to the conclusion? Whether it’s healthcare or a tax policy, tell me how that makes the country better and why you believe it does.”
Before his political career, Huckabee pastored churches in his native Arkansas. He served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention from 1989-1991. He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University.