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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fielded questions about his nomination as ambassador to Israel during a congressional hearing punctuated by protests Tuesday.
President Donald Trump nominated Huckabee for the role in November. The native Arkansan has no foreign policy experience, but has visited Israel several times.
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee also questioned Reed Rubinstein, State Department legal adviser nominee, and Kevin Cabrera, Panama ambassador nominee, but Huckabee’s remarks were the only ones interrupted multiple times by audience members who were removed after shouting about “desecrating the Holy Land” and “misus[ing] Christianity to justify ethnic cleansing.”
Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict since Israel retaliated. A ceasefire negotiated in January was broken last week when Israeli strikes killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza.
Ranking committee member and New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen said it’s important to get the parties back to the negotiating table. Noting Huckabee’s previous support for Israeli annexation of the West Bank and total Israeli control of Palestinian territory, Shaheen called the rhetoric “highly incendiary across the Middle East and the entire Muslim world.”
“And so I hope that you will think about how to advance long-term peace and stability in the region,” she said.
An evangelical Christian, Huckabee is a long-time supporter of Israel and has opposed a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Huckabee told the committee Tuesday that he wasn’t there to defend his views and repeatedly said that if confirmed, he would enforce Trump’s policies.
“An ambassador doesn’t create the policy, he carries the policy of his country and his president,” he said.
Asked by Oregon Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley if he supports Trump’s plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza, Huckabee said the president has never called for forced displacement, but rather to ensure there is “a safe and secure place for people to live during the process of cleaning out what is a disastrous mess.”
Trump last month suggested the idea of the United States taking control of Gaza. When asked during a Fox News interview if Palestinians would have a right to return to the territory, Trump said “no, they wouldn’t,” noting it would be years before the land would be habitable.
While it may not be possible today, Nevada Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen said she firmly believes a two-state solution should be the ultimate goal and inform how the U.S. approaches the Israel-Palestine conflict. Rosen asked if Huckabee agreed and if not, requested an alternative approach.
“The question is not is there a need for people who are Palestinian to be able to live and have a future, the question is where and when,” he said. “Where will that be? Will it be on top of the Israeli Jewish state or will it be somewhere that is decided upon that would be completely different, only for those who wish to locate there?”
Trump’s goal is to see “a real and lasting peace” in the Middle East, according to Huckabee, who said he believes the president could achieve something of “biblical proportion.”
“If confirmed, I want to be able to take the clarity of his voice and moral understanding of what should happen in the Middle East in dealing with terrorism and being able to be part of something historic, to stop that which has murdered and destroyed the lives and livelihoods, not only of soldiers, but of civilians,” he said.
After visiting Israel for the first time in 1973, Huckabee began taking groups there in 1981. He told the committee he’s led “tens of thousands” of people to the “Bible lands” over the course of approximately 100 trips.
An ordained Southern Baptist pastor, Huckabee hosted a talk show on Trinity Broadcasting Network that ended in January. He also previously hosted shows on Fox News and was syndicated on Cumulus Media Networks.
Huckabee served as Arkansas’ governor from 1996 through 2006 before running for president in the 2008 and 2016 Republican primaries. He is the father of the current governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. This article was published with permission from the Arkansas Advocate. Contact Editor Andrew DeMillo for questions: [email protected]. Follow Arkansas Advocate on Facebook and Twitter.
