WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, attempted to distance himself Tuesday from his past controversial statements about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people, pledging on Capitol Hill to 鈥渃arry out the president's priorities, not mine.鈥
鈥淚 am not here to articulate or defend my own views or policies, but to present myself as one who will respect and represent the President whose overwhelming election by the people will hopefully give me the honor of serving as ambassador to the State of Israel,鈥 Huckabee said in his opening statement.
Trump , a well-known evangelical Christian and vehement supporter of Israel, to take on the critical post in Jerusalem days after he won reelection on a campaign promise to end the now 17-month war in Gaza. But after a brief ceasefire, U.S. and Arab mediators are now back on track after Israeli forces last week with a surprise wave of deadly airstrikes.
While Republican senators applauded Huckabee's staunch support for America's closest ally, Israel, Democrats questioned his past rhetoric about Palestinians deemed 鈥渆xtreme鈥 by even some pro-Israel groups and contradicting longstanding U.S. policy in the region.
The former Arkansas governor acknowledged his past support for Israel鈥檚 right to annex the West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population into Israel but said it would not be his 鈥減rerogative鈥 to carry out that policy.
鈥淚f confirmed, it will be my responsibility to carry out the president鈥檚 priorities, not mine,鈥 Huckabee said in response to Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley's questions.
Huckabee, a one-time presidential hopeful, has also repeatedly backed referring to the West Bank by its biblical name of 鈥淛udea and Samaria,鈥 a term that right-wing Israeli politicians and activists have thus far fruitlessly pushed the U.S. to accept. He did not give a clear answer to whether he still stands by that when pushed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
Most notably, Huckabee has long been opposed to between Israel and the Palestinian people. In an interview last year, he went even further, saying that he doesn't even believe in referring to the Arab descendants of people who lived in British-controlled Palestine as 鈥淧alestinians.鈥
As has deteriorated with the recent collapse of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal, Israeli officials have begun to talk more seriously about reoccupation of the territory, something to which President Joe Biden's administration had been adamantly opposed.
Trump has made his proposals about , which have attracted attention as well as strong criticism from Arab nations and others. When asked about Trump's plan, Huckabee denied that the president ever said he would 鈥渇orce displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza 鈥渦nless it is for their safety鈥 and says Palestinians could be incentivized to leave.
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 鈥渆xtreme鈥 and 鈥渃ounter to Americans' interests.鈥
鈥淗uckabee鈥檚 positions are not the words of a thoughtful diplomat 鈥 they are the words of a provocateur whose views are far outside international consensus and contrary to the core bipartisan principles of American diplomacy,鈥 Rep. Jerry Nadler, a senior Jewish Democrat, said in a statement Monday. 鈥淚n 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鈥檚 post and behind the powerful seal of the United States.鈥
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the pro-Israel group J Street, which has previously criticized the Biden and Trump administrations' handling of the war, echoed that sentiment, saying that Huckabee's views 鈥渨ould undermine American interests and the administration鈥檚 own stated commitment to pursuit of long-term regional peace and security.鈥
He added, 鈥淢r. Huckabee鈥檚 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 鈥 and in stark contrast to Israel鈥檚 founding values of justice, equality and peace.鈥
Trump's pick for ambassador to Panama also testified
Another nominee who testified before the committee on Tuesday is Kevin Cabrera, Trump鈥檚 pick to be ambassador to Panama, a country that at the Republican president鈥檚 repeated calls for the U.S. to for national security reasons due to potential threats from China. The status of the canal was one of the top items on Secretary of State Marco Rubio鈥檚 agenda when he visited Panama City on his first trip as America's top diplomat in February.
鈥淥ne of the key aspects of our cooperation is ensuring the security of the Panama Canal, a critical international waterway that facilitates global trade and economic growth,鈥 Cabrera said in his opening remarks.
He also praised decisions by the Panamanian government to withdraw from China鈥檚 Belt and Road Initiative and to review contracts with a China-based company that is running ports at both ends of the canal. The company has preliminarily agreed to sell its interests in the subsidiaries that run the ports, but the deal is not yet complete.
Cabrera also faced repeated calls from Democrats to commit to upholding Panama鈥檚 sovereignty and advising the president to do the same, but Cabrera responded that he would defer to Trump, who has said 鈥渁ll the options are on the table鈥 when it comes to asserting U.S. control over the Panama Canal.
He added that diplomacy is included in those options.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she appreciated a 鈥渇ocus on diplomacy,鈥 but said she was still worried by the threats of sending military force or coercing Panama to relinquish control over the canal.
Cabrera responded, 鈥淧resident Trump is our commander and chief and I stand behind him and his policies.鈥
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Amiri reported from New York.
