Who is Mike Huckabee, the pro-Israel ambassador who says ‘there’s no such thing as a Palestinian’?

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that has chosen Mike Huckabee to be the next US ambassador to the Jewish state, marking the latest of his pro-Israel appointments.

Huckabee, who served as Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007, has a record of being staunchly supportive of Israel and has previously defended settlements in the West Bank, calling the territory “property [Israel] already owns”.

In his first interview since Trump’s announcement, the ordained Southern Baptist pastor told Israel’s Army Radio that annexing the West Bank was “of course” a possibility.

Huckabee said that he wouldn’t be the one to “make the policy” and would only “carry out the policy of the president,” then noted how Trump “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”.

He also listed Trump’s first term pro-Israel policies including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

On Monday, Trump announced he would appoint Representative Elise Stefanik as the new US ambassador to the United Nations, another pro-Israel choice for his upcoming administration.

Huckabee is not Jewish, unlike most US ambassadors to Israel from recent American administrations.

Reacting to the news of his appointment, Huckabee said: “On a personal level, this is an extraordinary opportunity to be able to represent my country to a land that I have loved since I first visited there in July of 1973.

“I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be able to serve in this capacity, and I hope that the confidence the president has put in me will be well-founded,” he added.

What does Huckabee think of Israel?

Announcing his decision, Trump said Huckabee “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.”

On a visit to Israel shortly after Trump’s first election, Huckabee implied that he views the West Bank as rightfully belonging to Israel rather than Palestinians.

According to CNN, during a 2008 campaign for US president, Huckabee said:”“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,”

“You have Arabs and Persians and there’s such complexity in that. But there’s really no such thing. That’s been a political tool to try and force land away from Israel.”

He’s also gone further than most US politicians with his stance on the West Bank saying: “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.”

About the war in Gaza, he has previously advocated for a hardline against Hamas and said in June that the group is “not capable of having an honorable negotiation”.

Since serving as a governor for over a decade, Huckabee has maintained a high-profile in politics and has previously sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and 2016.

His first trip to the Jewish state was after high school before the 1973 Yom Kippur War and he has been a regular visitor throughout his life.

He has led dozens of tours to the Jewish state, escorted tens of thousands of Americans, and is scheduled to headline a further trip in February and March. In the wake of October 7, he led several evangelical leaders on a visit to the hard-hit southern communities on the border with the Gaza Strip.

In August 2018, Huckabee laid a ceremonial brick at the Israeli settlement Efrat in the West Bank and said he might one day buy a “holiday home” there.

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) said it was “thrilled” with the nomination of Huckabee.

“As the Jewish state continues to fight an existential war for survival against Iran and its terrorist proxies, Governor Huckabee will represent America’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s security with distinction,” a statement from the coalition’s national chairman, Norm Coleman, and CEO Matt Brooks.

Meanwhile, J Street, a non-profit liberal Zionist group, expressed opposition to the appointment of Huckabee, which it said was not in the best interest of Jewish Americans.

“The mask is off. This announcement is further proof that ‘pro-Israel’ for Trump is totally disconnected from any concern for Jewish values, safety or self-determination," said Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street’s president. “It’s all about what ‘pro-Israel’ means to extremists in the MAGA base.”