President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he intends to nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, a high-profile diplomatic posting in a tumultuous region.
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.
Huckabee, if confirmed, will be the first non-Jewish person to hold this role since 2011, NBC News reported. He will arrive in Jerusalem to face conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon that have raged for more than a year. On the campaign trail, Trump, a close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to put an end to the conflict.
Peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas have stalled in recent days after Qatar pulled out of its meditation efforts. Huckabee is likely to be at the center of international pressure on the U.S. to help broker a cease-fire deal.
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, elevating a longtime loyalist and former rival for the Republican nomination in 2016. Huckabee, the host of a namesake television talk show, campaigned for Trump this cycle, hitting the trail with the former president, including in battleground Pennsylvania in the final throes of the race.
"I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be The United States Ambassador to Israel," Trump said in a statement. "Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!"
Trump has made a series of other staffing announcements in recent days. On Monday, he announced plans to nominate former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., as the Environmental Protection Agency's top administrator and to appoint Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as his national security adviser. Also on Monday, NBC News reported Trump had tapped House Republican Conference chair and longtime ally Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
Last week, the president-elect said Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, would be White House chief of staff. On Sunday, he named immigration hard-liner Tom Homan as his “border czar.”
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