Trump picks ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be Israel ambassador

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he is going to nominate former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, is a staunch supporter of Israel and defender of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, considered illegal by most of the international community.

"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!" Trump said in a statement.

Huckabee, 69, has criticized President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel to moderate its conduct of the Gaza war.

"If a person is pro-Israel, how can you be pro-Biden because the Biden administration has made it very clear they will make concessions to Hamas," Huckabee said in an interview in March on News Nation.

Huckabee served as Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007. He fell short in bids for the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and 2016.

His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is the current governor of Arkansas. She served as Trump's White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019.