Sen. Van Hollen: Mike Huckabee ‘Supports the Concept of a Greater Israel’ and ‘That Is a Recipe for Instability’

EXCERPT:

VAN HOLLEN: “Anybody who knows the Middle East recognizes that the best long-term solution to guarantee both Israel's security and the dignity and security and rights of the Palestinian people is a two-state solution. What Mike Huckabee has said is just the opposite. He supports this concept of a greater Israel, Israel controlling the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea -- that's a Mike Huckabee vision. It's a vision that has been embraced by the far-right in Israel, including members of the Netanyahu government like Smotrich and Ben Gvir. So this is a recipe, if he continues to pursue these views, for continued instability and violence in the Middle East. So this is not a good signal. Hopefully, you know, we'll see what Mike Huckabee says again at the time of his confirmation hearing. I will point out, Andrea, that the new Israeli ambassador to the United States that was appointed by Netanyahu after Trump was declared the winner is a super right-winger. He was raised in -- in Pennsylvania. He then became part of the JDL, the Jewish Defense League, which was later declared a terrorist organization by the United States. He was part of the Kahanist movement, which was this extreme right movement in Israel that was actually banned in Israel and on the U.S. terror watch list. And he is a settler who believes in annexation. So in both the Netanyahu appointment as Israeli ambassador to the United States and Donald Trump's appointment as our ambassador to Israel, you see this far-right vision of Israel essentially taking over the entire area of what they call Greater Israel. That is a recipe for instability and -- and continued conflict.”