By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Mike Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist pastor noted for his Evangelical and pro-Israel views, prepares to take up his job as the United States ambassador to Israel.
The Senate agreed Wednesday with Huckabee’s nomination in a 53-46 vote, installing a staunch supporter of Israel in the key Mideast post.
Analysts say the 69-year-old ex-governor of Arkansas may prove crucial
to U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to seek an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the armed conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and threats posed to Israel by Iran.
Huckabee, also known as a political commentator and former presidential hopeful, became an ambassador after a vote that went almost entirely along party lines.
Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — an ardent supporter of Israel and virtually the only Democratic ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — was the only lawmaker to break with his party to join Republicans in backing Huckabee’s nomination.
Most Democrats questioned his views on Israel, including referring to the West Bank by its Biblical name of “Judea and Samaria,” a term the U.S. has so far refused to accept.
Huckabee also opposes the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian people. He reportedly said he does not even believe in referring to Arab descendants of people in then British-controlled Palestine as “Palestinians.”
PERSONAL AGENDA
Despite his conservative views on Israel, which include support for Israel annexing the West Bank, Huckabee stressed during his confirmation hearing that he would work to advance the policies of the Trump administration, not his own personal agenda.
“I am not here to articulate or defend my own views or policies but to present myself as one who will respect and represent the president, whose overwhelming election by the people will hopefully give me the honor of serving as ambassador to the state of Israel,” Huckabee told the U.S. Senate hearing.
He said he hopes to arrive in Israel by Passover, which starts on Saturday evening. Huckabee’s arrival was due to be welcomed by Israel’s right-wing government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left his meeting with Trump largely empty-handed, in contrast to his triumphant visit two months ago, commentators said.
During an hourlong Oval Office appearance, Trump appeared reluctant to end 17 percent tariffs on Israeli imports. He also announced that the United States and Iran would hold talks over the Iranian nuclear program beginning this weekend.
Netanyahu has been very wary of any discussions with Iran, which Israelis regard as an existential threat amid concerns about the Islamic State’s nuclear program.
The Israeli prime minister has made clear the Jewish nation would never accept Iran having nuclear weapons and did not rule out military action against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The U.S. military struck a second vessel in international waters on Monday, killing three people alleged to be Venezuelan “narcoterrorists” transporting illegal drugs, President Donald Trump announced.
The long-anticipated Israeli ground invasion of Gaza City erupted late Monday night, with IDF tanks rolling into the heart of the city in what Palestinian sources described as the most intense fighting in northern Gaza in two years.
Christians in Pakistan tell Worthy News they are reeling after two shocking incidents — the murder of three believers in Islamabad and the forced removal of a kidney from a Christian laborer in Faisalabad — which advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan says highlight systemic abuse of religious minorities.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has urged American companies to stop publishing quarterly financial reports, pointing to China’s “long-term approach” as a model, although it is a Communist-ruled nation. He suggested that moving to semi-annual disclosures would cut costs and allow executives to focus on growth rather than short-term market pressures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted “full responsibility” for an airstrike in Qatar that killed Hamas operatives, while the United States reaffirmed support for his campaign to dismantle the designated terror group, despite Washington’s reservations over the recent attack.
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.