Incoming Israeli ambassador Mike Huckabee says West Bank annexation of course a possibility
Mike Huckabee, whom U.S.President-elect Donald Trump nominated on Tuesday to ambassador to the Jewish state, told Israel’s Army Radio in his first interview since the announcement that “of course” the annexation of Judea and Samaria is a possibility under a second Trump White House.While Huckabee said that he won’t be the one to “make the policy” but rather will “carry out the policy of the president,” he noted that the president-elect “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.”Huckabee listed Trump’s first-term accomplishments on behalf of Israel, from moving the U.S.
embassy to Jerusalem to recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.“No one has done more than President Trump,” he said.In January 2020, Trump unveiled his “deal of the century,” a peace plan that would have seen Israel annex sizable portions of Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank.The plan, which was overseen by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, ultimately encountered resistance from both sides of the conflict, including from Jews living in Judea and Samaria.The Yesha Council, a representative body of Israeli communities in that region, rejected the plan given it provided for a Palestinian state.Huckabee, a Southern Baptist pastor and staunch supporter of Jewish rights to the Land of Israel, 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 said.Trump, in announcing his choice, 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 th...