The Senate’s confirmation hearing for Gov. Mike Huckabee as the U.S. ambassador to Israel has once again been delayed, this time to March 25.
Sources close to the Trump administration attribute this delay to Democratic opposition and pressure from the liberal Jewish community, adding to the ongoing controversy surrounding Huckabee’s nomination. Mike Evans, founder of Friends of Zion, commented on the situation: “The Democrats will do everything possible to delay the hearing.” Upon hearing about the delay, Evans sent a letter to all members of the Senate, urging them to support Huckabee’s nomination. This letter was sent out on Tuesday. With Republicans holding a narrow 53-49 majority in the Senate, Huckabee’s confirmation could be at risk if even a few GOP senators oppose him.
Huckabee was one of the first appointees announced by President Donald Trump after his election and would become the first Evangelical Christian to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel if confirmed. This nomination is particularly significant for the Evangelical community, which was a crucial voting bloc in Trump’s reelection campaign. The Senate officially received his nomination on February 11, 2025.
In his letter, Evans defended Huckabee, writing, “He has been criticized for being a Christian Zionist. In fact, he is a Christian Zionist, and I am also, as are more than 50 million Bible-believing Americans.” Evans went on to argue that “Israel has been weakened by Jew haters who have used the Palestinians as proxies. To weaken Israel is to destabilize the Middle East and risk the peace of the world, for the road to world peace runs through the Middle East.” Evans praised Huckabee for his “moral clarity” and asserted that “if there was ever a time Israel needed a U.S. ambassador whose foundation is a support of Zionism and moral clarity, it is now.”
Evans’ letter stands in stark contrast to one sent nearly three weeks earlier by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. These groups expressed serious concerns about Huckabee’s nomination, citing his stance against a Palestinian state and his Christian theology. The rabbis reminded senators of Huckabee’s 2008 statement as a presidential candidate: “There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.” They also referenced his 2017 denial of Israel’s long-standing occupation of the West Bank. More recently, Huckabee expressed support for the potential annexation of Judea and Samaria, or the West Bank, in an interview with Israel Radio following his nomination.
The letter from the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis stated, “Gov. Huckabee’s views may be shaped in significant part by his deeply held evangelical faith, including what is known as ‘Christian Zionism.’ This ideology professes a love of Israel rooted in the belief that Jewish sovereignty over the biblical land of Israel will hasten the return of Jesus Christ. Gov. Huckabee can hold whatever faith views he believes. At the same time, as Jews and Zionists, we are gravely concerned by a teaching in which the well-being of Jews, of Israel, and of America are not ends in themselves but means to the fulfillment of Christian eschatology.”
Ynetnews reached out to several Democratic senators for comment but received no response. The outlet also contacted the director of strategic communications for the Union for Reform Judaism, but did not receive a reply.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, founder and president of J Street, spoke to ILTV and Ynet News, stating that the role of the U.S. ambassador should be about representing American interests rather than personal extreme beliefs or ideologies, which he believes are present in Huckabee’s views. “Having Mike Huckabee as Ambassador from the U.S. would undermine the president’s goal of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and facilitating regional normalization,” Ben-Ami said. “The biggest obstacles to that goal are extremists who deny the existence of the other side and seek all the land for only one party. Mike Huckabee’s views undermine President Trump’s goals and are a recipe for annexation, isolation, democratic decline and endless conflict.”
Despite the delays, Evans remains confident that Huckabee’s nomination will ultimately pass. Speaking to Ynetnews, Evans stressed the urgency of having an ambassador in place for Israel, pointing out the detrimental effects the delay could have on ongoing efforts related to the war and the safe return of hostages.
If confirmed, Huckabee would make history as the first Evangelical Christian to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel. In recent decades, however, most ambassadors to Israel have been Jewish, including Trump’s former ambassador, David Friedman.
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