Middle EastAnalysis

Jewish settlers’ sovereignty goals bolstered by Trump’s appointment of Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel

The evangelical pastor has previously stated that the West Bank is an integral part of Israel

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has been chosen as the next US ambassador to Israel. Photograph: Getty Images
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has been chosen as the next US ambassador to Israel. Photograph: Getty Images
Mark Weiss's picture
Mark Weiss in Jerusalem
Wed Nov 13 2024 - 15:52

Jewish settlers hoping that Israeli sovereignty can be extended to the occupied West Bank during the upcoming administration of Donald Trump received a huge boost with his decision to appoint Mike Huckabee as the next US ambassador to Israel.

The prominent evangelical pastor is a frequent visitor to West Bank settlements. He once said there is no such thing as a Palestinian, has been a vocal critic of the two-state solution, describing such an idea as “irrational and unworkable”, and has previously stated that the West Bank is an integral part of Israel.

He was also critical of President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel over its conduct of the war in Gaza.

The former governor of Arkansas told Israeli Army radio on Wednesday that no one has done more than Trump to ensure Israeli sovereignty.

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“I will carry out the policy of the president, but he has already demonstrated in his first term that there’s never been an American president that has been more helpful in securing an understanding of the sovereignty of Israel. From the moving of the embassy [to Jerusalem], recognition of the Golan Heights [as part of Israel] and Jerusalem as the capital – no one has done more than president Trump, and I fully expect that will continue,” he said.

In a video address in 2017 to the Sovereignty movement, a right-wing NGO pushing for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, he made clear his support for such a move. “Areas of Judea and Samaria are the indigenous lands of Israel from time immemorial,” he said. “I wish upon you the courage to be bold and do that which is necessary to secure your homeland. This is not land that you occupy but land that you own and you have a right to live there.”

During a 2017 visit to the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, Huckabee told reporters: “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 neighbourhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.”

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Mr Huckabee’s appointment came a few days after finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionist party, congratulating Trump on his election victory, vowed that 2025 will be “the year of sovereignty in the West Bank”.

Yishai Fleisher, spokesperson for the Jewish settler community of Hebron, welcomed the appointment.

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