Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, who has been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as the ambassador to Israel, has consistently opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state in territories historically occupied by Israel. Huckabee demonstrates strong loyalty to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has frequently expressed his support for the Israeli stance.
As a former television personality and Baptist minister, Huckabee is a regular visitor to Israel and has even considered purchasing a holiday home there. His long-held belief is that the West Bank rightfully belongs to Israel, asserting that “the title deed was given by God to Abraham and to his heirs.” This perspective aligns with his advocacy for a “one-state solution,” which diverges from the traditional U.S. position that promotes the eventual formation of a Palestinian state.
Huckabee condemned the Hamas attack on October 7 as “horrific” and has insisted that the U.S. should firmly back Israel. His long-standing opposition to a two-state solution is notable; he has criticized even Netanyahu’s endorsement of this concept back in 2009. The territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East conflict—including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem—are sought by Palestinians for their future state, as they currently view these regions as occupied land. The U.S. and a significant portion of the international community have supported the idea of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders as fundamental to achieving peace, although even Netanyahu now dismisses such a concept.
Huckabee has made it clear that he opposes any resolution that would necessitate relocating Israeli settlers from these regions. In a 2015 interview, Huckabee, who was then campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, stated that under his administration, recognition of the West Bank as Israeli territory would be the “formal position.” He expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, referring to the settlers removed as having been “marched at gunpoint.” He aptly noted, “We have a responsibility to respect that this is land that has historically belonged to the Jews.”
In 2015, Huckabee stirred controversy by equating the Iran nuclear deal to leading Israelis “to the door of the oven,” an analogy to the Holocaust. This criticism was aimed at then-President Barack Obama, and Republicans at the time criticized the agreement for failing to address Iran’s support of terrorism. Trump later withdrew the U.S. from the deal, which had hoped to contain Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions. Huckabee’s remarks drew significant backlash from Democrats, yet he remained steadfast in his views.
Furthermore, Huckabee has shown skepticism towards the term “Palestinians.” In a recent discussion, he stated that he did not recognize the identity of Arab descendants from British-administered Palestine as “Palestinians,” arguing that the term was appropriated by Yasser Arafat in the early 1960s. He declared himself an “unapologetic, unreformed Zionist” during the same dialogue, asserting that Israel represents an “extraordinary oasis in a land of totalitarianism surrounded by tyranny.” Conversely, he criticized “radical Muslims,” expressing a desire to move away from past centuries.
In light of the agonizing events of October 7, Huckabee has voiced his outrage, labeling the massacre as “beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime.” He condemned Hamas for broadcasting their horrific acts on social media, stating, “As horrible as the Nazis were, they weren’t posting their atrocities on social media and trying to trumpet what they were doing to the world.” This tragedy saw Hamas militants kill approximately 1,200 individuals, mostly civilians, while taking around 250 hostages. The response from Israel resulted in one of the most severe military campaigns recent history has witnessed, leading to reports of over 43,000 fatalities among Palestinians, according to local health officials.
