Even before he was sworn in, Trump shocked many by nominating Gov. Mike Huckabee for U.S. Ambassador to Israel. The choice ruffled more than a few feathers and debate is intensifying as his confirmation hearing draws closer.
Huckabee, a Baptist minister, is the first non-Jewish US ambassador to Israel since James Cunningham was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008. His political views on the Middle East are even more controversial.
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, sent the following letter to all 100 United States senators.
Rabbi Pesner questions Huckabee’s commitment to longstanding U.S. interests and values regarding Israel, specifically highlighting controversial statements made by Huckabee:
“As a presidential candidate in 2008, Gov. Huckabee declared that ‘There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.’ In 2017, Gov. Huckabee denied the reality of Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank.”
The letter claims that as allies, the US and Israel have a common interest in “the recognition and advancement through peaceful means of Palestinian national aspirations.”
Huckabee has gone on record as opposing the “two-state solution.” Huckabee is a strong supporter of Israel, opposing Palestinian statehood. In a 2015 interview with The Washington Post, he stated, “The idea that they have a long history, dating back hundreds or thousands of years, is not true.”
“Gov. Huckabee’s record raises serious questions about his commitment to these values and interests that have persisted across Republican and Democratic administrations alike,” Rabbi Pesner wrote.
Rabbi Pesner’s claim was inaccurate. The Democrats have indeed based their Middle East policy on the creation of a Palestinian state. The Biden administration had a strong agenda based on the Two-State Solution, i.e. the creation of an unprecedented militarized Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria that has been ethnically cleansed of Jews with its exclusively Muslim capital in Jerusalem.
President Obama’s Secretary of State, John Kerry, famously said in 2016 that “there will be no advanced and separate peace with the Arab world without the Palestinian process and Palestinian peace.” Based on this premise, the Democrats have seen a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria as the greatest obstacle to peace while giving Palestinian violence a pass.
But this is not true for the Republican party. Trump has expressed doubts that such a “Two-State” plan is possible or will result in peace. Using a different paradigm that sidestepped the Palestinian issue, President Trump negotiated the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain.
A concern expressed by Rabbi Pesner involves Huckabee’s religious motivations:
“Gov. Huckabee’s views may be shaped in significant part by his deeply held evangelical faith, including what is known as ‘Christian Zionism’,” he wrote. “This ideology professes a love of Israel rooted in the belief that Jewish sovereignty over the biblical land of Israel will hasten the return of Jesus Christ.”
While affirming America’s commitment to religious freedom, the letter expresses grave concern about:
“…a teaching in which the well-being of Jews, of Israel, and of America are not ends in themselves but means to the fulfillment of Christian eschatology.”
The letter concludes by urging senators to:
“…explore these issues in full, ask for clarity on his views related to these concerns, and cast your vote accordingly.”
It should be emphasized that despite rising support for Trump among Jews, the priorities of the Action Center of Reform Judaism have always closely approximated those of the Democratic Party.
The opinions expressed by Rabbi Pesner were not universal to American Jews. Morton Klein, President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), published an open letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urging them to dismiss the objections of the Reform rabbis and confirm Huckabees’ nomination.
Klein described Huckabee as a “great American patriot” and a “friend of the Jewish people,” emphasizing Huckabee’s deep knowledge of Israel’s history, legal rights, and on-the-ground realities.
“It is difficult to fathom how anyone who calls himself a Jewish Zionist could oppose Gov. Huckabee’s confirmation,” Klein wrote.
He strongly criticized Rabbi Pesner’s letter, in which Pesner urges Congress to reject Huckabee’s nomination. Klein argues that Pesner’s objections are based on false and misguided views, first addressing what he sees as Pesner’s misunderstanding of Israel’s rights to its land. According to Klein, Pesner’s claim that Israel is an “occupier” is inaccurate, as Israel’s legal rights to the land are rooted in international law, including the San Remo Resolution and the Mandate system, which granted the Jewish people these lands under binding agreements. Klein stresses that the expiration of the Mandate did not diminish these rights, and Pesner’s assertion of Israeli occupation is therefore, misguided.
Klein also takes issue with Pesner’s advocacy for the creation of a Palestinian state. Klein argues that establishing such a state would be disastrous for both Israel and the United States.
“A Palestinian Arab state would be an Iranian-proxy terror state,” Klein wrote. “Iran is already flooding massive weaponry into the Palestinian Authority. This flood would turn into a tsunami if there was a sovereign Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority continues to incite and pay Arab terrorists to murder Jews (including numerous American Jews), despite rebranding its pay-to-slay payments as ‘economic empowerment’ payments.”
Klein highlights the dangers posed by a Palestinian state, which could result in more attacks like those on October 7, 2023, in which American lives were lost.
Klein further criticizes Pesner for promoting the idea of a distinct Palestinian Arab identity, which Klein believes is not historically supported.
“In fact, there has never been a Palestinian state, king, queen or distinct people,” Klein wrote. “Palestinian Arabs moved into the area from Egypt, Syria, Algeria, etc. and are indistinguishable from other Arabs in the area.”
“A nominee for ambassador who understands all these realities is in fact good for American interests.”
In addition, Klein defends evangelical Christian Zionism, which Pesner’s letter maligned. Klein rejects Pesner’s characterization of evangelical views as unreasoned and against American moral values, stressing that Christian Zionism has long been aligned with U.S. interests.
“It is also mortifying that Pesner’s letter maligned the tens of millions of evangelicals and Christian Zionists in the United States,” Klein wrote. “Pesner portrays evangelical views as “untested by reasoned discourse” and as opposed to America’s ‘moral values,’ and asks the Senate to examine Governor Huckabee’s religious faith. Pesner’s letter would establish a dangerous religious test for public office.”
“In fact, Christian Zionism has reflected America’s interests since our earliest days.”
Klein concludes by citing a Biblical basis for confirming Huckabee.
“The core Christian Zionist belief – that G-d will bless those who bless the Jewish people, and curse those who curse the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3) – has held true throughout history,” Klein wrote. “Evangelical or Christian Zionist beliefs should certainly not constitute grounds for disqualifying any candidate for public office.”
Rabbi Tuly Weisz, head of Israel365, emphasized that Rabbi Pesner’s support of the Two State agenda was dangerously out of touch.
“When nearly every Israeli political leader has abandoned the Two-State solution after October 7th, it’s inconceivable that Reform leaders are still pushing for such a dangerous and failed policy,” Rabbi Weisz said. “This just shows how disconnected and irrelevant Reform has become in their shift to the far left. Mike Huckabee will be a great ambassador to Israel specifically because of his opposition to Palestinian statehood and unwavering support of Israel.”
Rabbi Elie Mischel, the Educational Director of Israel365, was highly critical of Rabbi Pesner.
“We live in an upside-down world, where Reform rabbis like Rabbi Pesner do everything in their power to undermine their own people, while Christian leaders like Governor Huckabee dedicate their lives to supporting Israel,” Rabbi Mischel said. “I pray that the senators ignore this letter and know that the Jewish people deeply appreciate Governor Huckabee and all that he has done for Israel.”
