Yossi Dagan, governor of Samaria, met in New York with Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and the intended U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Dagan and Huckabee have been friends for many years. Dagan has hosted Huckabee numerous times for tours in Samaria, including a notable visit to Joseph's Tomb which gained international media attention.
Huckabee has frequently toured Samaria with Dagan as part of the foreign relations unit of Samaria Council, hosting many delegations from the U.S. government, evangelical pastors, congress members, senators, and parliament members from around the world. Simultaneously, advocacy delegations from Samaria have traveled to the U.S.
Many guests who visited Samaria or met with its delegations in the U.S. now hold key positions in the incoming Trump administration.
The meeting between Dagan and Huckabee in New York was the first since Trump's announcement of his intention to appoint the Arkansas governor as U.S. ambassador to Israel. At the end of the meeting, Mike Huckabee and Yossi Dagan addressed the cameras.
Dagan told the ambassador-designate: "We are waiting for you in Judea and Samaria, in the State of Israel. You are a true friend of Israel, and especially of the Jewish pioneers building Judea and Samaria. We appreciate you greatly, and I, personally, am looking forward to working with you in Israel."
Huckabee told Dagan: "I am not the ambassador yet, but I hope to be, and hope to be very soon. I look forward to coming once again to Judea and Samaria, revisiting the people there and the remarkable land, the land that God gave, and the land that it is a blessing to be part of at any time."
The meeting was hosted by Israel Heritage Foundation's Executive Vice President Dr. Joseph Frager and Executive Director Rabbi David Katz.
Later in the week, on Wednesday, Dagan is expected to launch the official Judea and Samaria caucus in the U.S. Congress with Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.
The caucus, expected to include many congress members, is the first of its kind and will focus on strengthening Judea and Samaria. Establishing this caucus is an important step that has never been done before, and it will strengthen ties between Israel and its friends in Congress and the American public.
Early next week, Dagan will attend President Trump's inauguration ceremony in Washington with a Yesha Council delegation, alongside Binyamin governor Israel Ganz, Oranit Local Council head Or Peron Zomer, Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim, and the foreign relations team of the Samaria Council.