The U.S. Senate confirmed former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to be the next Ambassador to Israel on Wednesday by a vote of 53-46. Just hours later Huckabee was sworn in by Eighth Circuit Federal Appeals Court Judge Lavenski Smith during a ceremony at the Arkansas state capitol in Little Rock.
In brief remarks, as reported by Little Rock Public Radio, Huckabee explained why the location for the ceremony was so important to him. “Rather than having my swearing in in Washington, a city that means really not very much to me, a place that I get out of as quickly as I can and go as seldom as I can, I wanted to do it here, here in Arkansas, here in Little Rock.”
Huckabee has said in past comments that he has opposed a two-state solution for the states of Israel and Palestine and refers to the West Bank by its biblical name of Judah and Samaria. Huckabee expected to arrive in Israel next week. But Huckabee told lawmakers at a hearing last month that he would “carry out the president’s priorities, not mine” as ambassador.
Former Governor Sworn in as Ambassador to Israel in Arkansas
