washington — President-elect Donald Trump announced On Tuesday, he singled out former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee He will serve as the US ambassador to Israel.

“Mike has been a great public servant, governor and faith leader for many years,” Trump said in a statement. he said. “He loves Israel and the people of Israel, and the people of Israel love him as well. Mike will work tirelessly to achieve Peace in the Middle East!”

Requires shipping approval by the SenateBut Huckabee is unlikely to face major hurdles to confirmation in the upper chamber, where Republicans are expected to hold at least 52 seats in the next Congress.

Huckabee is among the first picks announced by the president-elect as he begins to form his Cabinet and other key positions. Among these Representative Elise Stefanik U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Representative Michael Waltz serves as national security advisor. Sources say he is expected to touch Florida Senator Marco Rubio The selection for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been finalized yet.

Huckabee served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and failed to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016. After leaving office, he hosted a show on Fox News and a radio show. a staunch defender of Israel and in question He visited the country more than 100 times over 50 years.

In his first period, Trump moved US embassy Tel Aviv to Jerusalem President Biden’s first term.

If confirmed next year, Huckabee would take office at a time when Israel is at war with Hamas, where Hamas is holding dozens of Israelis hostage, including four American citizens. Discussions about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly stalled, and on Saturday Qatar, Hamas’ mediator, announced the end of the ceasefire. suspended his efforts and will continue the work “when the parties demonstrate their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the continued suffering of civilians.”

Senator Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, said in a speech: report During Sunday’s “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” speech, he said he believes “the environment has completely changed” following Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken to Trump three times in recent days and described the talks as “good and very important.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Mr. Biden at the White House on Tuesday.

More than 1,200 civilians were killed and more than 250 civilians were kidnapped in Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023. Around 100 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza, but a third are thought to be dead. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, but it is unclear how many of them were civilians and how many were militants.

After the start of Israel’s war with Hamas, Iran’s ally Hezbollah began launching rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon to Israel.