Huckabee... The Last Face of Christian Zionism in a Changing America

Mike Huckabee is one of the American figures most closely associated with the Zionist project. He combines religious, political, and media influence, and has dedicated his career to defending Israel and justifying its policies, becoming one of the most prominent symbols of the evangelical Zionist movement in the United States. He served as governor of Arkansas for years and ran in the Republican Party primaries before becoming one of President Donald Trump's closest political allies and one of the most influential figures among the Christian right supporting Israel.

Huckabee operates from a religious and ideological conviction that historical Palestine is the "Promised Land" granted by God to the Jews. Therefore, he rejects recognizing the national rights of the Palestinian people and unequivocally opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state or the implementation of a two-state solution. For him, there is no such thing as the West Bank; instead, he uses the biblical term "Judea and Samaria." He also rejects describing Israeli settlements as illegal, considering them "Jewish communities and cities" on land he views as a historical and religious right for Israel.

These roots of this stance trace back to the 1980s, when he used to organize religious trips for evangelical Christians to the occupied Palestinian territories. During these trips, he made sure to visit Israeli settlements and encourage their political and financial support, while avoiding visiting the city of Bethlehem, despite its central place in Christian doctrine, because it is a Palestinian-majority city.

In an interview in 2017, he clearly stated his rejection of the term "West Bank," asserting that he only recognizes the name "Judea and Samaria." He also denied the existence of occupation or illegal settlement. When later asked to clarify his statements denying the existence of the Palestinian people, he tried to soften their impact, denying that he called for the displacement of Palestinians. However, he then reaffirmed that his position is based on what he described as a "biblical mandate" that, according to his belief, dates back to the time of Prophet Abraham more than 3,500 years ago.

Huckabee played a prominent role in mobilizing conservative American public opinion to support the decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. He was also one of the most prominent supporters of the Abraham Accords, considering them a path to strengthening Israel's regional position, away from any just solution to the Palestinian issue.

Huckabee has a close relationship with Donald Trump and is considered one of his most loyal Republican figures. During his confirmation hearings, he affirmed that he would implement the president's policies even if they conflicted with his personal convictions. Despite his support for the ceasefire in Gaza when the Trump administration adopted it, he simultaneously emphasized his absolute commitment to ensuring continued military and political support for Israel, including accelerating the provision of weapons, reflecting that his support for Tel Aviv is a fixed ideological and political constant that does not change with circumstances.

However, the American scene today is no longer what it was years ago. The Israeli war on Gaza, and the accompanying scenes of mass killing, destruction, starvation, and targeting of civilians, have brought about an unprecedented transformation within American society. For the first time in decades, the Israeli narrative no longer enjoys absolute dominance within universities, media, and public discourse. Instead, widespread voices have emerged speaking about occupation, settlement, and war crimes, and sympathy for Palestinians has expanded remarkably, especially among youth, students, academic circles, and even within segments of the Democratic Party and the American Jewish community.

This shift does not mean that the Zionist lobby has lost its influence, nor that Christian Zionism has retreated from its positions. However, it now faces a new battle it has not experienced before. After decades of relying on monopolizing the narrative and presenting Israel as the "eternal victim," the Gaza war has overturned this image for millions of Americans who followed, through social media, the extent of the human tragedy away from the official narrative.

Therefore, the appointment of figures like Huckabee at this time can be understood as an attempt to remobilize the conservative evangelical base and strengthen the influence of Christian Zionism within decision-making institutions, in the face of the increasing erosion of Israel's image in American public opinion. For Israel, the battle is no longer confined to the battlefronts in Gaza, Lebanon, or the West Bank, but has extended to American universities, the media, and global public opinion, where it is losing the battle for moral legitimacy day by day.

Israel has realized that the most dangerous outcome of the Gaza war is not just military losses or international pressure, but the collapse of the image it worked for decades to build as the "only democracy in the Middle East." With escalating accusations of war crimes and genocide, there is an urgent need for ideological figures like Huckabee who can use religious and evangelical discourse to reproduce the Zionist narrative within American society and rally the conservative base behind it.

However, the problem facing this project is that the ongoing transformations within the United States seem too profound to be addressed by a Zionist ambassador or the launch of a media campaign. A whole generation of Americans now views the conflict from the perspective of human rights and international law, not from the perspective of biblical narrative or geopolitical calculations. This transformation, while it will not change American policies overnight, presents Israel and its supporting lobby with a long-term strategic challenge: the loss of popular support that for decades has been one of its most important sources of strength and influence.

Hence, Mike Huckabee's presence does not reflect Israel's self-confidence as much as it reflects its anxiety about the future. When a state is forced to resort to the most extreme ideological voices to defend its policies, it means that its political, legal, and moral arguments are no longer sufficient to convince the world. As for the Palestinians, despite the magnitude of the tragedy they are experiencing, their steadfastness and sacrifices have succeeded in bringing about a historical shift in global consciousness, a shift that, in the long run, may be more impactful than many military battles, because it targets the cornerstone upon which Israel has relied since its inception: monopolizing the narrative and winning Western public opinion.