Trump picks former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel

President-elect Donald Trump said he intends to nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel, a high-profile diplomatic posting in a tumultuous region.

Huckabee, if confirmed, would be the first non-Jewish person to hold the role since 2011. He would 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, vowed to end the conflict.

Peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas have stalled in recent days after Qatar pulled out of its mediation efforts. Huckabee would most likely be at the center of international pressure on the U.S. to help broker a cease-fire deal.

Trump’s announcement Tuesday on Truth Social elevated a longtime loyalist and rival for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Huckabee, the host of a namesake television talk show, campaigned for Trump this election cycle, hitting the trail with him, 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!”

In a statement congratulating Huckabee, the Republican Jewish Coalition praised him as "a long-time friend" of the group, focusing on his "abounding love of Israel" and promising his appointment would "strengthen the US-Israel relationship to even greater heights."

Huckabee’s daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the current governor of Arkansas and a former Trump administration official, was also a top surrogate for Trump. The elder Huckabee, 69, was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.

During his 2016 presidential run, Huckabee staked out an arch-conservative position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rejecting the notion of an "occupied" West Bank. Instead, he referred to the area using the biblical term “Judea and Samaria.”

At the time, received earned the Adelson Defender of Israel award at a Zionist Organization of America dinner in New York. Miriam Adelson, the widow of Sheldon Adelson, remains a top Trump donor, and she gave lavishly to his 2024 campaign.