PNN – Mike Huckabee has officially begun his mission as the new US ambassador to occupied Palestine. His appointment comes amid turbulent days for the Zionist regime, and it seems that his mission will be more than just conventional diplomatic measures.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, Mike Huckabee, the new US ambassador to the occupied Palestinian territory, began his mission by presenting his credentials to the President of the Zionist regime, Isaac Herzog, during an official ceremony. He arrived in the occupied Palestinian territory on Friday and immediately went to visit the Wailing Wall (Buraq), in the western part of Jerusalem.
Huckabee, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to head the US embassy in Israel on November 12, 2024, was confirmed by the US Congress on Wednesday by a majority of 53 votes to 46. He replaces former US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who was appointed to the position a year ago by former President Joe Biden.
The new 70-year-old US ambassador is a close confidant of Trump and the father of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary during his first term. Huckabee is an evangelical Christian and Zionist, a former pastor of the Southern Baptist Church in Arkansas, and a staunch supporter of the Zionist regime. It should be said that evangelicals have very close relations with Zionists and, based on their principles and foundations, they are comprehensive supporters and defenders of the Zionist regime. Most evangelicals, by denying the identity of the Palestinians, are serious opponents of the two-state solution and the international recognition of the State of Palestine.
In addition to having a university degree in Christian theology, the US ambassador to Israel has received two honorary doctorates in literature and law from American universities. Huckabee, whose perseverance and determination in various fields have received national media attention, is a New York Times bestselling author of 14 books, an evangelist who frequently speaks to groups around the world, and a businessman who owns radio stations in Arkansas and Missouri.
The former Arkansas governor is also very active in the media field, and served as the host of the Huckabee talk show on Fox News from 2008 to 2015. The show was revived by Huckabee in 2017 and has since aired on the Christian television network TBN.
Mike Huckabee’s relationship with the Zionist lobby in America
Huckabee, the first non-Jewish Zionist ambassador since 2008, has deep ties to pro-Israel lobbies in the United States. He has received numerous awards from Zionist-related organizations for his support of the regime, including the 2022 Israel Friendship Award from the Zionist Heritage Foundation and the 2019 Friend and Defender of Zion Award from the Zionist Organization of America. These organizations hold an important position in the American decision-making system and the shaping of American foreign policy, and are heavily influenced by the pro-Israel lobby.
Mike Huckabee has also been traveling regularly to occupied Palestine for more than fifty years, and has led groups of Jewish and Christian Zionist youth to visit the land on over a hundred trips since 1981.
Accordingly, supporting and managing the trips of Jewish and Christian Zionist youth to occupied Palestine, as well as Adelson’s presence at the official ceremony of presenting Huckabee’s credentials to the President of the Zionist regime, indicates the pieces of the puzzle that the powerful Zionist lobby has planned to achieve its expansionist goals in the region. Therefore, perhaps Huckabee’s Zionist approach and extreme right-wing positions in support of the policies of the Zionist regime, along with his skills in political and media analysis, have qualified him for the position of head of the US embassy in occupied Palestine, as required by the Zionist lobby.
Mike Huckabee’s position on the Palestinian issue
Huckabee’s staunch support for the Zionist regime has gone so far that he not only opposes the two-state solution but also denies the identity of the Palestinians. He even said during the presidential campaign that there really is no such thing as a “Palestinian people.” However, in various television interviews, Huckabee has promoted the idea that there is “plenty of land” for the Palestinians in countries such as Jordan, Egypt, and Syria.
Huckabee also calls for the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, as well as its annexation. According to Al Jazeera, he has tied his evangelical Christian faith to support for the Zionist regime’s control of the West Bank, as well as support for the expansion of Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Accordingly, Huckabee has repeatedly emphasized the reference to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria” based on the Torah, saying: I would never use the term ‘West Bank.’ A term that has led far-right politicians and pro-Zionist activists to embrace it, but has not been successful.
In this regard, the Israeli Channel 12 TV reported that Mike Huckabee stated in 2015 that Israel’s claim to Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is stronger than the United States’ claim to Manhattan.
Huckabee’s support for the Israeli occupation of the West Bank went so far as to state the following year that Israel had legal ownership of the West Bank.
The US ambassador to Israel also said during his confirmation hearing in the US Congress, referring to Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and the Zionist regime’s crimes in Gaza: Based on the president’s policy, I will do everything in my power to ensure that Hamas has no future in Gaza.
Huckabee’s statements regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Huckabee proposed tightening sanctions on Iran and supporting Israel in any steps necessary to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. He also stressed that Iran should be seen not only as a threat to the Israeli regime but also as a global threat, and called for a united front with moderate Arab countries to contain its influence in the region.
Huckabee has also stated that normalizing the Israeli regime’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is one of his most immediate goals, which he will pursue with seriousness.
Different reactions to the appointment of Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel
However, when Trump nominated him as the US ambassador to Israel after winning the election, his anti-Palestinian stances provoked a lot of reactions at the domestic and international levels. After his selection, Trump wrote in an official message that Huckabee (the regime) loves Israel and Israel is pleased with his selection. He added: Mike will work around the clock to establish peace in the Middle East.
In this regard, the Israeli Channel 12 reported that the selection of Huckabee, along with Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State and Alice Stefanik as US Ambassador to the United Nations, who are strong supporters of the Israeli regime and hold important positions in the second Trump administration, was very significant.
Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian politician in the West Bank, said Huckabee’s remarks on Palestine in the US Senate were completely contrary to international law. He added: His appointment is very bad news for peace efforts in the region.
Paul Musgrave, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts and a lecturer at Georgetown University in Qatar, also said: Huckabee considers Israel a staunch ally of the United States and will certainly be a strong voice for Israel supporters in America.