Trump picks pro-settlement Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel

President-elect Donald Trump has announced he had nominated Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel under his incoming administration, putting a stalwart supporter of that country's government in a key role.

"Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years," Trump said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to the Christian pastor-turned-politician.

"He loves Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him."

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar quickly offered his congratulations to Huckabee, who has in the past said there was "no such thing as an occupation" when it came to Palestinian territories.

"I look forward to working with you to strengthen the bond between our peoples," Minister Saar posted to Huckabee on X. "As a longstanding friend of Israel and our eternal capital, Jerusalem — I hope you will feel very much at home."

Huckabee, 69, ran twice for the Republican Party presidential nomination, including in 2016 against eventual winner Trump, who Huckabee was quick to back after falling out of the race.

'No such thing as occupation'

Huckabee, whose nomination requires confirmation by the US Senate, has travelled to Israel regularly since 1973, and has led numerous tours there.

In 2017, he was present in Maale Adumim for the expansion of one of Israel's largest settlements in the West Bank, strongly suggesting he was in support of Trump's positions on Israel.

"There is no such thing as the West Bank — it's Judea and Samaria," Huckabee told CNN there at the time, using the Biblical terms for the area.

"There's no such thing as a settlement; they're communities, they're neighbourhoods, they're cities. There's no such thing as an occupation," he added.

In December 2023, he visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza and said: "if we don't stand with Israel, we stand for chaos."

Huckabee was born in Hope, Arkansas, the same town that gave rise to Democrat Bill Clinton, who served as the state's governor before he became president.