Huckabee Signals U.S. Greenlight for Judea and Samaria Annexation
In a dramatic break with decades of policy, Washington says it won’t stand in Israel’s way as hardliners push to seize 82% of the West Bank.
Twitter
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a longtime Christian Zionist, declared in an interview that Washington has “never asked Israel not to apply sovereignty.” In plain terms: the U.S. won’t oppose Israel if it annexes large swaths of the occupied Judea and Samaria.
The timing is not accidental. Just days earlier, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unveiled his most audacious plan yet, annexing 82% of the Judea and Samaria, leaving just six Palestinian population centers stranded like islands. His vision? “Maximum territory and minimum Arab population.”
Back in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been whispering reassurances to Israeli officials while hinting publicly that annexation could be Israel’s answer to European moves toward recognizing a Palestinian state.
As Huckabee spreads this gospel, cracks are showing at home. Polls reveal a growing skepticism about unconditional U.S. support for Israel, especially among younger Americans. Asked about this, Huckabee points the finger not at foreign policy failures, but at American pulpits: “There are pastors who have not explained to their congregations where support for Israel comes from biblically.”