Mike Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, will head the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and former Fox News commentator, was chosen by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Republican's second term.

Huckabee, who will replace Jack Lew at the head of the embassy in Jerusalem, also ran twice in the Republican primary for president. In 2008 he lost to John McCain and in 2016 he was defeated by Trump.

Huckabee, an evangelical pastor, is a staunch supporter of Israel, opposes the two-state solution and has advocated in favor of the annexation of the West Bank by the Jewish state.

In fact, in 2015, during a visit to Israel as part of his Republican primary campaign, he argued in statements for the Israeli news portal Ynet that the Jewish state should have "control of Judea and Samaria (West Bank)." He added that Jewish settlement is a factor leading to peace in the Middle East.

It’s important to note that Judea and Samaria are historical names for regions within the Land of Israel, now commonly referred to as the West Bank. This area was captured by Israel from Jordan during the defensive 1967 Six-Day War. Much of the international community calls for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank to facilitate the creation of a Palestinian state, which would also include the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as its capital.

During that visit, Huckabee also traveled to the ancient West Bank city of Shiloh, where he stated that Judea and Samaria are an integral part of the State of Israel and everyone should understand that. He urged the rest of the presidential candidates to visit both regions.

Huckabee also traveled to Israel in 2018 when he visited the West Bank community of Efrat, where he said he planned to buy a house.

During that visit, the future U.S. ambassador to Israel stressed that Palestinian workers receive better wages in Israeli communities in the West Bank than in the Palestinian Authority, the territory in that area controlled by the government of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. He called for moving forward with housing developments in the area, in contrast to the Obama administration, which had called for a freeze on them.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders congratulated her father

Arkansas Governor and former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, daughter of the future U.S. ambassador to Israel, said she is "incredibly proud" of her father. She emphasized his strong defense of the Jewish state and his deep understanding of the bond between Israel and the United States.

A surprise appointment

Ynet reported that Huckabee's appointment surprised Jerusalem, as many had expected Trump to appoint David Friedman—his former ambassador to Israel during his first term—if he didn’t select him for the position of secretary of state.

However, David Friedman will not be ambassador to Israel.

For the position of special envoy for the Middle East, Trump selected Jewish real estate magnate Steve Witkoff.