President Isaac Herzog Receives Diplomatic Credentials of Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and well-known American religious and political leader, has officially assumed his role as the United States Ambassador to Israel. On Monday, Huckabee presented his diplomatic credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, marking the formal start of his ambassadorship.
Appointed by President Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee brings decades of public service experience to the position, including his tenure as the 44th governor of Arkansas and his background as an ordained Baptist pastor. His appointment underscores the Trump administration’s continued focus on strengthening U.S.-Israel relations.
Huckabee’s deep ties to both political and faith communities in the United States are expected to shape his approach to diplomacy in the region. As ambassador, he is set to play a key role in advancing strategic partnerships, regional peace efforts, and mutual cooperation between the U.S. and Israel.
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“We share our heartbreak and our absolute resolve to see every last hostage freed from the Hamas dungeons and returned to their loved ones. Immediately,” Herzog told Mike Huckabee. “Every last one. I thank you for this allegiance of heart, and, no less, for your commitment to action. Nothing is more urgent.”
“We care deeply, Mr. President, about the threats that face Israel, because those are also the threats that face our country,” Mike Huckabee told Herzog. “I never want Americans to think that we Americans are not greatly benefited by our partnership with our ally Israel. We benefit dramatically in the sharing of intelligence, the sharing of technology, and the sharing of agricultural innovation, in which Israel has led the world.”
New U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee concluded a full program of diplomatic meetings at the President’s Residence, during which the new ambassadors of India, Canada, Belarus, the Dominican Republic, and Angola also submitted their diplomatic credentials.
Most Israeli and many American Jews, especially Orthodox ones, were elated by Huckabee’s appointment. However, a video recorded during his run for president in 2008 shows Mike Huckabee telling two Orthodox Jewish men, “Basically, there really is no such thing as — I need to be careful about saying this, because people will really get upset — there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian. There’s not.”
“You have Arabs and Persians,” Huckabee added. “And there’s such complexity in that. But there’s really no such thing [as Palestinians]. That’s been a political tool to try and force land away from Israel. My point is, if that’s the issue, if it’s real estate, if you look at a map, and say here is how much Israel has and here is how much the Arab states hold, there is plenty of land.”
Comments such as these have some worried that the second Trump administration will reject the idea of a two-state solution, with the eventual establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Born on August 24, 1955, in Hope, Arkansas, Huckabee earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Ouachita Baptist University. He later attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Beyond politics, Huckabee hosted the talk show “Huckabee” on Fox News Channel and later on TBN. He also hosted “The Mike Huckabee Show,” a daily radio program.
Mike Huckabee’s daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as the White House Press Secretary in the First Trump Administration and is currently the governor of Arkansas.
