Mike Huckabee nomination advances in Senate, one step closer to becoming ambassador to Israel

Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, cleared a cardinal hurdle Tuesday aft the Senate voted to extremity statement connected his nomination.

The Senate voted 53 to 46 to beforehand Hucakbee's nomination. He present awaits a last confirmation ballot arsenic Israel continues its warfare against Hamas successful the Gaza Strip.

While Republicans person championed Huckabee arsenic an ardent supporter of Israel, Democrats person questioned his erstwhile "extreme" presumption connected Palestinians.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-presidential campaigner and erstwhile Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee successful Jerusalem connected Aug. 19, 2015. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO via Getty Images)

The erstwhile Arkansas politician has antecedently argued it is Israel’s close to annex the West Bank and has flatly rejected the propulsion to found a two-state solution erstwhile it comes to the Gaza Strip. 

Huckabee has not commented connected whether helium inactive views the West Bank arsenic Israel's close to claim, oregon wherever helium stands erstwhile it comes to Trump’s position connected the Gaza Strip, which the president said helium would similar to crook into the "riviera of the Middle East" and called for the "relocation" of much than 2 cardinal Palestinians.

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to beryllium ambassador to Israel, arrives to attest during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation proceeding astatine the Dirksen Senate Office Building connected Mar. 25, 2025 successful Washington, DC. Huckabee, the erstwhile politician and statesmanlike candidate, answered questions connected Israel and its run against Hamas. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

During his confirmation hearing, the erstwhile politician pushed backmost connected claims that Trump wants to instrumentality implicit the Gaza Strip, insisting the president has not called for the "forced displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza – "unless it is for their safety."

"If confirmed, it volition beryllium my work to transportation retired the president’s priorities, not mine," Huckabee said successful effect to questions levied astatine him from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

Mike Huckabee speaks with Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump astatine a assemblage roundtable successful Delaware County successful Drexel Hill, PA connected Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, earlier being named arsenic Trump's nominee to beryllium the adjacent U.S. ambassador to Israel.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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But Huckabee’s grounds during Senate questioning is improbable to person garnered overmuch caller enactment from Democrats successful Congress. 

"Huckabee’s positions are not the words of a thoughtful diplomat – they are the words of a provocateur whose views are acold extracurricular planetary statement and contrary to the halfway bipartisan principles of American diplomacy," New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, a elder Jewish Democrat, said successful a connection past month. "In 1 of the astir volatile and convulsive areas successful the satellite today, determination is nary request for much extremism, and surely not from the historical ambassador’s station and down the almighty seal of the United States."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.