More than 65 progressive, faith-based and human rights groups have urged the US Senate to reject Mike Huckabee's nomination to be the ambassador to Israel.
The groups including Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, CODEPINK, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Muslim Peace Fellowship, Progressive Democrats of America and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, among others, made the appeal in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee James Risch and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen.
"Mr. Huckabee is unfit to serve in this critical diplomatic role given his record of anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian, and anti-semitic beliefs and rhetoric, his support for illegal settlements and annexation, as well as his extreme views supporting the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians," said the letter that was sent on Monday.
They also said Huckabee’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "aggressive" policies only deepens concerns about his ability to serve as "an impartial and fair representative" of US interests.
"His appointment would embolden those who oppose peace and fuel further division, rather than encouraging constructive dialogue and understanding," they said.
"We urge you to oppose Mike Huckabee’s nomination and advocate for a candidate who will represent the United States with integrity, respect international law, defend the human rights of all people, and a commitment to advancing a just and lasting peace," they added.
During his nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Huckabee pledged to carry out President Donald Trump’s policies on Gaza, maintaining that Hamas will have no future in the Palestinian enclave.
"Hamas is not a government. It's not a standing army. It is a terrorist organization, and they acted like it, and they must be treated as such," Huckabee said.
Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen criticised Huckabee at the hearing for his support for Israel’s annexation plans for the occupied West Bank, calling it highly inflammatory in the Middle East and the Muslim world.
A controversial figure
Huckabee has consistently rejected the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, a stance that aligns with hardline Israeli policies but diverges from broader international diplomatic efforts.
He rejects a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, aligning with hardline Israeli policies but diverging from global diplomacy. His history of extreme anti-Palestine statements, described as "profoundly troubling," has raised concerns about his ability to represent US interests impartially.
Huckabee advocates for Israeli annexation of territories and supports extremist Zionist settlers, which analysts argue violates international law and escalates tensions. Even before his hearing started, Democrats and some pro-Israel groups voiced their opposition to his nomination, saying that his views on the conflict are "extreme" and "counter to Americans’ interests."
"Huckabee's positions are not the words of a thoughtful diplomat — they are the words of a provocateur whose views are far outside international consensus and contrary to the core bipartisan principles of American diplomacy," Jerry Nadler, a senior Jewish Democrat, said in a statement on Monday.
"In one of the most volatile and violent areas in the world today, there is no need for more extremism, and certainly not from the historic ambassador’s post and behind the powerful seal of the United States."
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the pro-Israel group J Street, which has previously criticised the Biden and Trump administrations' complicity in Gaza war crimes, echoed that sentiment, saying that Huckabee's views "would undermine American interests and the administration’s own stated commitment to pursuit of long-term regional peace and security."
He added, "Mr. Huckabee's embrace of annexation, extremist settlers and fanatical Christian Zionism stands in stark contrast to the Jewish, democratic values held by the overwhelming majority of our community — and in stark contrast to Israel's founding values of justice, equality and peace."
Destruction of families will cause lasting population imbalances with long-term effects, say Palestinian officials.
