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Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, Republican presidential contender and Baptist minister, was confirmed as ambassador to Israel by a vote of 53 to 46 on Wednesday, with senators largely divided along party lines.
President Trump announced Mr. Huckabee as his nominee for the role shortly after the election in November. “He loves Israel and the people of Israel,” the president-elect said, “and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East.”
But the nomination prompted an outcry from some Democrats and others on the left. Lawmakers, lobbyists and faith groups of various denominations raised objections, saying his positions on Israel and on Palestinians’ identity and national aspirations are divisive and undermine American interests. Only one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a staunch and outspoken supporter of Israel, crossed party lines to vote for Mr. Huckabee.
Here’s what you need to know about Mr. Huckabee’s position on Israel, Palestinians and the conflicts in the region.
What are his ties to Israel?
At his nomination hearing, Mr. Huckabee said that his first trip to Israel was in 1973 and that he had been moved by the experience. He described Israel as “holy ground to Jews, Christians and Muslims.”
His support for Israel is rooted in his belief that God made a covenant with the Jews in the Old Testament, giving them a claim to the land that stands. In 1981, Mr. Huckabee began leading trips to Israel and has taken about 10,000 people there in the years since, he told senators, visiting the country about 100 times.
What has he said about Palestinians?
In 2008, on the presidential campaign trail in Massachusetts, Mr. Huckabee said “there is no such thing as a Palestinian,” calling the identity “a political tool to try and force land away from Israel.”
Mr. Huckabee is a staunch supporter of the Israeli settlement movement. On a 2018 visit, he participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in a settlement and said he “might want to purchase a holiday home” there.
In 2015, while he was running for president a second time and was in Jerusalem, he rejected the terms “occupied” and “West Bank” when speaking to reporters. Instead, he referred to the territory as “Judea and Samaria,” using the biblical name of the area to bolster Israel’s claim to the land. He has backed Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
At his nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Huckabee was questioned by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, about his “highly incendiary” statements.
He declined “to articulate or even defend” his views, he said, noting that he would be advancing administration policies, not his positions.
When questioned about Mr. Trump’s assertion in February that the United States could take over the Gaza Strip and Palestinians would move to neighboring nations, Mr. Huckabee said the president did not mean “forced displacement.”
“They shouldn’t be forced” out, he said. Mr. Trump, he said, was talking about finding people “safe haven.”
When asked about the war between Israel and Hamas and its effect on civilians in Gaza, Mr. Huckabee dismissed concerns about Israel’s decision to cut off aid entering the enclave in early March, saying “massive supplies” had entered. He also expressed support for the Israeli military’s use of American-supplied heavy bombs.
Mr. Huckabee has long rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. His supporters, like the America First Policy Institute, a right-wing policy group, point to his opposition to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a reason to embrace him.
What do critics say?
More than 65 leftist, faith-based and human rights organizations urged senators to reject the selection of Mr. Huckabee. Among them were Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups that said “his appointment would embolden those who oppose peace and fuel further division, rather than encouraging constructive dialogue and understanding.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations sent senators a letter in February outlining a “history of anti-Muslim statements and inflammatory rhetoric” by Mr. Huckabee.
What do supporters say?
The State Department, in a February statement on Mr. Huckabee’s nomination for the ambassador role, noted that he is “a prominent politician, commentator, author, and public speaker” with a significant track record in public service and in the culture.
Mr. Huckabee’s champions say his record, and his alignment with the Trump administration agenda, make him the right man for the ambassadorship.
He was governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007 and “left a legacy of tax cuts, job creation, the reconstruction of his state’s road system, K-16 education reform, and a nationally heralded and duplicated health initiative that focused on prevention,” the State Department said.
He ran for president in 2008 and 2016, and has been popular with Republicans, finishing second in the Republican nominating contest in 2008.
From 2017 until early this year, he was the host of “Huckabee,” a weekend television show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, which calls itself the world’s largest Christian television network.
Born in Hope, Ark., in 1955, he graduated from Hope High School in 1973. By then, he was already committed to becoming a pastor.
Mr. Huckabee graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas in 1975 and received a master’s degree from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1980.
Addressing senators on Tuesday ahead of the vote, the Senate majority leader, John Thune, said Mr. Huckabee’s confirmation, and Republican support for Israel, was particularly important with Israel at war. “President Trump has made it clear that the United States stands squarely in Israel’s corner,” he said.
”Ambassador Huckabee will be a strong and supportive voice for Israel and for America’s interests from his post in Jerusalem will be a strong and supportive voice for Israel and for America’s interests from his post in Jerusalem,” he said.
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