- By Shivangi Sharma
- Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel, has consistently opposed the creation of a Palestinian state in territory previously seized by Israel. Throughout his career, Huckabee has been a vocal and unwavering supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The former TV host and politician has long championed policies that align with Israel’s interests, making his appointment a significant statement of support for the Israeli government.
During his 2008 presidential campaign, he argued that Palestinian identity was merely ‘a political tool to try and force land away from Israel’.
Further fueling debate, a video from his 2015 presidential bid, uncovered by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski, showed Huckabee suggesting that a Palestinian state should be established in neighbouring countries like Egypt, Syria, or Jordan, rather than within Israel's borders.
Here is Mike Huckabee, Trump's pick to be ambassador to Israel, saying in 2008 that there's "no such thing as a Palestinian" and explaining his idea to send them to one of the Arab states pic.twitter.com/kZoUOcPRG1
— Dave DeCamp (@DecampDave) November 12, 2024
Basically, there really is no such thing as I need to be careful about saying this because people will really get upset there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian," Huckabee said at a 2008 campaign stop in Massachusetts while speaking to two Jewish men.
Huckabee Suggests US Could Support Israeli Annexation Of West Bank
Mike Huckabee, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel, suggested that the US might support Israel if it chose to annex the West Bank. In an interview on Israeli Army Radio, Huckabee was asked whether the Trump administration would back the move, which Israel refers to as applying ‘sovereignty’.
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“Well of course,” Huckabee said. “I won’t make the policy, I will carry out the policy of the president. But he has 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.”