Anti-Israel protesters interrupt Huckabee ambassador hearing
Anti-Israel protesters interrupted President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, as he made his opening remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2025.
Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, has been confirmed to the position by the United States Senate.
The Senate voted 53 to 46 on Tuesday to advance Huckabee's nomination. He was confirmed Wednesday by a 53-46 vote and will now represent the U.S. as Israel continues its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., an outspoken pro-Israel lawmaker, was the only Democrat to support Huckabee's confirmation.
While Republicans have championed Huckabee as an ardent supporter of Israel, Democrats have questioned his previous "extreme" position on Palestinians.
ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS INTERRUPT HUCKABEE HEARING, ATTACK TRUMP NOMINEE'S FAITH
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Jerusalem on Aug. 19, 2015. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO via Getty Images)
The former Arkansas governor has previously argued it is Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and has flatly rejected the push to establish a two-state solution when it comes to the Gaza Strip.
Huckabee has not commented on whether he still views the West Bank as Israel's right to claim, or where he stands when it comes to Trump’s position on the Gaza Strip, which the president said he would like to turn into the "riviera of the Middle East" and called for the "relocation" of more than 2 million Palestinians.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee arrives to testify during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, March 25, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
During his confirmation hearing, the former governor pushed back on claims that Trump wants to take over 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 will be my responsibility to carry out the president’s priorities, not mine," Huckabee said in response to questions levied at him by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
Mike Huckabee, left, speaks with then-former President Donald Trump at a community roundtable in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However, Huckabee’s testimony during Senate questioning is unlikely to have garnered much new support from Democrats in Congress.
"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," New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, a senior Jewish Democrat, said in a statement last month. "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."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More from Politics
Fox News Politics
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.