WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has said that he has named former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be the US ambassador to Israel, to help steer foreign policy in the Middle East with the region in crisis.
"Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years, " Trump said on Tuesday in a statement.
"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!"
The post requires approval by the Senate, though Huckabee is unlikely to face major obstacles to confirmation in the upper chamber, where Republicans are expected to hold at least 52 seats in the next Congress.
The appointment of the 69-year-old Huckabee comes as Israel faces international pressure to scale back its war in Gaza more than one year after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Trump will inherit a widening Middle East conflict after Israel and Iran have traded airstrikes in recent weeks.
Huckabee has previously signaled that he opposes negotiating a cease-fire deal with Hamas, arguing the only way to end the war is for the Islamist militant group to surrender.
Trump has expressed steadfast support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
As President, Trump moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and helped broker the 2020 Abraham Accords, which expanded Israel's diplomatic relations in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has spoken to Trump three times since Trump defeated Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in last week's election.
The two leaders also communicated during the 2024 campaign.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is defeated and all hostages are released.
Trump announced the Huckabee pick while Israeli President Issac Herzog was at the White House visiting outgoing President Joe Biden.
Touting his support for Israel, Trump in September called himself "a protector" of Israel and warned the Jewish state would cease to exist if Harris won.
Trump in April said Israel needs to "finish what they started" in Gaza but also said Israel is "losing the PR war" with the images of bloodshed coming out of Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll has passed 43, 000.
Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former Fox News host, served as Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for President in 2008 and in 2016 against Trump.
In June, Huckabee told NewsNation there is "no valid reason" to pursue a cease-fire with Hamas, which the Biden administration has worked for months to secure.
"There’s no valid reason to have a cease-fire with Hamas. They’re not capable of having an honourable negotiation, " Huckabee said, accusing the terrorist organisation of pretending to listen to cease-fire details but always rejecting a deal.
"This is like trying to negotiate with the Nazis in World War II. You just don't, " Huckabee said.
"You beat them. You defeat them. You eradicate them."
Huckabee's daughter, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as White House Press Secretary during Trump's first presidency.
The Republican Jewish Coalition lauded the pick.
"As a man of deep faith, we know Governor Huckabee's abounding love of Israel and its people is second to none, " the lobbying group said in a statement.
"As the Jewish state continues to fight an existential war for survival against Iran and its terrorist proxies, Governor Huckabee will represent America's ironclad commitment to Israel's security with distinction."
Trump's former US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, also praised the selection.
"I am thrilled by President Trump's nomination of Governor Mike Huckabee as the next Ambassador to Israel. He is a dear friend and he will have my full support. Congrats Mike on getting the best job in the world!" Friedman said in a post on X.
Trump has filled at least seven other positions since his White House victory.
The incoming Republican President's hires include his senior 2024 campaign adviser Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff; Elise Stefanik was nominated to be US ambassador to the United Nations; longtime immigration advisor Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy; Tom Homan was picked to oversee deportation policy and aviation security; former New York congressman Lee Zeldin was nominated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency; and Florida representative Mike Waltz was named national security adviser.