President-elect Donald Trump has named former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as the United States ambassador to Israel.

Trump released a statement announcing his choice on Tuesday, praising the politician and Baptist minister as “highly respected” in both countries.

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in the announcement.

“Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East,” the president-elect added.

Huckabee was a close Trump ally during the 2024 election cycle, speaking highly of the former president on his Trinity Broadcasting Network talk show, Huckabee.

He also appeared alongside Trump on the campaign trail at multiple points, such as at a community roundtable in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, in October hosted by “Building America’s Future.”

Huckabee has visited Israel more than 100 times throughout his life, spurred by both his political diplomacy and his evangelical Christian belief that the country holds a sacred status.

“This is a biblical mandate, and we need to stand on it and recognize that we should never ever allow the Jewish people to feel that they’re alone again,” Huckabee told the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews earlier this year.

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Huckabee was rumored to be Trump’s top pick as ambassador to Israel following his first presidential election victory in 2016.

The former governor denied the reports, saying he “never discussed” the possibility with Trump.