President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as United States ambassador to Israel.

The West Bank has seen escalating violence since Oct. 7, with Israeli soldiers pursuing militants in residential areas and Jewish settlers mounting attacks on Palestinians in land grabs. Elizabeth Palmer looks at what President-elect Donald Trump's election victory and his selection of Mike Huckabee for U.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Israel, has long rejected a Palestinian state in territory previously seized by Israel.

Mike Huckabee’s journey to becoming the US ambassador to Israel began 50 years ago. The former pastor, Arkansas governor, presidential candidate, and Fox News host first visited Israel with a friend on a tour of the Middle East not long after graduating from high school.

Israel’s far right and future ambassador Mike Huckabee’s fellow evangelicals are eager to annex the settlements to Israel.

President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel. Why it matters: Huckabee has a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President-elect Donald Trump named Mike Huckabee as his ambassador to Israel, picking an evangelical Christian who favors Jewish sovereignty in parts of the West Bank and who, if confirmed, would be the first non-Jew to fill the role in 13 years.

Arab Americans and liberal Jewish voters, however, have ample reason to fear the naming of pro-settlement, pro-Netanyahu officials to top foreign policy posts in the new administration.

Choosing two men with such strong views on the legitimacy of the West Bank settlements at a time when their status is being legally challenged in international courts makes a powerful statement.