US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reaffirmed America’s “unbreakable bond" with Israel and warned that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon," speaking during a keynote address at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Sunday.
At the start of his address, Huckabee joked that he checked President Donald Trump's social media "to make sure this was not my last speech in Israel," noting his boss's history of firing people "in the middle of the night by way of social media. So I wanted to make sure that there was a reason for me to come." He reassured that "so far, so good!"
Speaking to policymakers, journalists, and supporters of the Jewish state, the former governor of Arkansas sought to ease concerns about US-Israel ties, emphasizing that President Donald Trump remains firmly committed to the Jewish state’s security and maintains a close relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The one thing that I’ve always heard him say, always, and I’ve always seen him do, is that America has an unbreakable bond with the State of Israel, and I trust that he means what he says," Huckabee said of Trump, adding that the president has been consistent in pledging to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities and to curb its support for regional proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Huckabee pointed to past Trump administration decisions, including recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the US embassy to the city, and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, as evidence of that commitment.
Addressing the threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Huckabee said that the best way to counter Tehran’s regional terror proxies is to “turn off the spigot at the source."