Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, presented his credentials today to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, officially making him the United States Ambassador to Israel.

Speaking at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem and fighting back tears, Huckabee recounted how President Donald Trump had told him he would take the role.

“I never talked to him about it, I never had a conversation with him,” Huckabee said. “I got a call out of the clear blue, just a few days after the election. If you know President Trump, he did not say, ‘Would you think about going, have you ever considered?’ He simply called and said, ‘Mike, you’re going to be my ambassador to Israel.’ Just as simple as that. You don’t say no to him.”

Huckabee, a devout Evangelical Christian, said that although Trump gave him the position, he believes it was God’s work.

“I felt it was not so much saying yes to a president — it was certainly that — but it was yes to a calling from God himself to come and fulfill what I believe is not just a job, but a mission.”

Upon arriving in Israel, Huckabee took a note from President Trump to the Western Wall, a remnant of King Herod’s expansion of the Temple Mount during the Second Temple Period, where Jews have prayed for nearly a thousand years since the destruction of the temple. Huckabee placed the note, which read ‘For peace in Israel,’ into the wall, following tradition.

Huckabee expressed gratitude for the role and said he was well prepared to serve, having taken more than 100 trips to Israel in his life.

“I am here, not just as a visitor, but now for the next few years — unless the president tweets something early in the morning and tells me to come home — this will be my home for the next four years,” he said.

Amid anti-Israel sentiments on both the Right and Left in America, Huckabee made the case for the United States’ continued relationship with Israel.

“I never want Americans to think that we Americans are not greatly benefited by our partnership with our ally Israel,” Huckabee said. “We benefit dramatically in the sharing of intelligence, the sharing of technology, and the sharing of agricultural innovation, in which Israel has led the world.”

The Senate confirmed Huckabee earlier this month in a 53–46 vote, mostly along party lines, with the exception of Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who has been a fierce defender of Israel since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israeli civilians.

In a memorable moment during his confirmation hearing, Huckabee took aim at Hamas for its massacre.

“This was not simply a cold-blooded murder in which people came across the borders and shot innocent people,” Huckabee said. “They massacred them, and they did it in a way that was most physically painful and in a way that was most personally humiliating. And worse, they videotaped themselves doing it because they were proud of it.

Huckabee added that Hamas said they would do it again.

“Hamas is not a government, it’s not a standing army. It’s a terrorist organization, and they acted like it, and they must be treated as such.”

Huckabee also pointed out Hamas has been holding hostages longer than Iran did after the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.

He added that making peace with Palestinians is difficult because of the Jew-hatred indoctrination in Palestinian-controlled areas.

“With the ongoing doctrine where compensation is given to those who murder Jews, parks and streets are named for those who do it, pensions are given to the families of those who are killed in the line of killing Jews, senator, that’s a difficult pathway to peace,” he said. “The two-state solution, the notion that everyone is going to live together, toast marshmallows around the campfire, singing Kumbaya, and it’s going to happen in our lifetime, is not going to happen if one of the sides doesn’t believe the other has a right to exist.”

Huckabee has been an unapologetic defender of Israel and supporter of Christian-Israeli relations during his career.

In a podcast episode for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Huckabee spoke of the importance of the fellowship of faith between Christians and Jews.

“This is a biblical mandate, and we need to stand on it and recognize that we should never ever allow the Jewish people to feel that they’re alone again,” he said.

Huckabee has been an even stronger defender of Israel following Hamas’ October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.

“The worst level of evil that exists on our planet today we saw on October 7th,” Huckabee said in the podcast. “For anyone to march in the streets, whether it’s America or Europe, and to show support for this uncivilized and savage behavior to me is a mark of darkness in our world.”

Huckabee visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza — one of the hardest hit by terrorists — in December. At the site of the carnage, he declared, “If we don’t stand with Israel, we stand for chaos,” reported the Times of Israel.

Huckabee has also been a strong supporter of Israel’s claim to Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, once arguing that Israel’s historical connection to the region, spanning thousands of years, is even stronger than America’s 400-year connection to Manhattan.

“If I came and said, we need to end our occupation of Manhattan, I’m pretty sure that most Americans would find that laughable,” he said. “The Israelis have a strong connection to Judea and Samaria.”

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​[[{“value”:”

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, presented his credentials today to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, officially making him the United States Ambassador to Israel.

Speaking at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem and fighting back tears, Huckabee recounted how President Donald Trump had told him he would take the role.

“I never talked to him about it, I never had a conversation with him,” Huckabee said. “I got a call out of the clear blue, just a few days after the election. If you know President Trump, he did not say, ‘Would you think about going, have you ever considered?’ He simply called and said, ‘Mike, you’re going to be my ambassador to Israel.’ Just as simple as that. You don’t say no to him.”

Huckabee, a devout Evangelical Christian, said that although Trump gave him the position, he believes it was God’s work.

“I felt it was not so much saying yes to a president — it was certainly that — but it was yes to a calling from God himself to come and fulfill what I believe is not just a job, but a mission.”

Upon arriving in Israel, Huckabee took a note from President Trump to the Western Wall, a remnant of King Herod’s expansion of the Temple Mount during the Second Temple Period, where Jews have prayed for nearly a thousand years since the destruction of the temple. Huckabee placed the note, which read ‘For peace in Israel,’ into the wall, following tradition.

Huckabee expressed gratitude for the role and said he was well prepared to serve, having taken more than 100 trips to Israel in his life.

“I am here, not just as a visitor, but now for the next few years — unless the president tweets something early in the morning and tells me to come home — this will be my home for the next four years,” he said.

Amid anti-Israel sentiments on both the Right and Left in America, Huckabee made the case for the United States’ continued relationship with Israel.

“I never want Americans to think that we Americans are not greatly benefited by our partnership with our ally Israel,” Huckabee said. “We benefit dramatically in the sharing of intelligence, the sharing of technology, and the sharing of agricultural innovation, in which Israel has led the world.”

The Senate confirmed Huckabee earlier this month in a 53–46 vote, mostly along party lines, with the exception of Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who has been a fierce defender of Israel since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israeli civilians.

In a memorable moment during his confirmation hearing, Huckabee took aim at Hamas for its massacre.

“This was not simply a cold-blooded murder in which people came across the borders and shot innocent people,” Huckabee said. “They massacred them, and they did it in a way that was most physically painful and in a way that was most personally humiliating. And worse, they videotaped themselves doing it because they were proud of it.

Huckabee added that Hamas said they would do it again.

“Hamas is not a government, it’s not a standing army. It’s a terrorist organization, and they acted like it, and they must be treated as such.”

Huckabee also pointed out Hamas has been holding hostages longer than Iran did after the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.

He added that making peace with Palestinians is difficult because of the Jew-hatred indoctrination in Palestinian-controlled areas.

“With the ongoing doctrine where compensation is given to those who murder Jews, parks and streets are named for those who do it, pensions are given to the families of those who are killed in the line of killing Jews, senator, that’s a difficult pathway to peace,” he said. “The two-state solution, the notion that everyone is going to live together, toast marshmallows around the campfire, singing Kumbaya, and it’s going to happen in our lifetime, is not going to happen if one of the sides doesn’t believe the other has a right to exist.”

Huckabee has been an unapologetic defender of Israel and supporter of Christian-Israeli relations during his career.

In a podcast episode for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Huckabee spoke of the importance of the fellowship of faith between Christians and Jews.

“This is a biblical mandate, and we need to stand on it and recognize that we should never ever allow the Jewish people to feel that they’re alone again,” he said.

Huckabee has been an even stronger defender of Israel following Hamas’ October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.

“The worst level of evil that exists on our planet today we saw on October 7th,” Huckabee said in the podcast. “For anyone to march in the streets, whether it’s America or Europe, and to show support for this uncivilized and savage behavior to me is a mark of darkness in our world.”

Huckabee visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza — one of the hardest hit by terrorists — in December. At the site of the carnage, he declared, “If we don’t stand with Israel, we stand for chaos,” reported the Times of Israel.

Huckabee has also been a strong supporter of Israel’s claim to Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, once arguing that Israel’s historical connection to the region, spanning thousands of years, is even stronger than America’s 400-year connection to Manhattan.

“If I came and said, we need to end our occupation of Manhattan, I’m pretty sure that most Americans would find that laughable,” he said. “The Israelis have a strong connection to Judea and Samaria.”

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