Former Gov. Huckabee discusses Israel ambassadorship at Little Rock chamber meeting

The 47th governor of the state of Arkansas introduced the 44th governor on Thursday (Dec. 12) at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.

Gov. Sarah Sanders welcomed her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was the featured speaker at the chamber event. Huckabee spent most of his time talking about his new role in the Trump administration where he has been nominated as U.S. ambassador to Israel.

“I will go with an extraordinary joy to witness history in a place where history is made every day,” he said.

Huckabee, 69, has been visiting Israel – mainly through his role as a pastor – since he was 17 years old. He said he’s taken as many as 100 trips and 10,000 visitors to Israel over the course of five decades.

Declaring the appointment a “privilege and honor,” he said he almost didn’t answer the phone when Trump called him with the offer because he didn’t recognize the number. When Trump extended the appointment, Huckabee said it was the only job he would have considered in the new Trump administration.

“I can’t really fully describe the feeling,” said Huckabee. “It’s more of a spiritual than a political decision.”

Acknowledging that the job he’ll fill if confirmed will be difficult, he said the year-long hostage situation from the 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks and centuries of fighting will make the role challenging.

“It’s the most brutally fought over real estate in the world,” said Huckabee. “We’re not talking about an issue that is geopolitical or socioeconomic … it’s good versus evil, it’s light versus darkness.”

The ambassadorship to Israel will be much different than the one that Little Rock business financier Warren Stephens will fill. Stephens, who was in attendance at Thursday’s chamber luncheon, has been nominated as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Gov. Sarah Sanders observed that her father and Stephens, both Arkansas-born and raised, will be serving as ambassadors to two of the United States’ most important allies.

She also joked that her father, who served as Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007, would be losing a role in her household with his move to Israel.

“The only downside to the latest news about my dad, aside from the fact that my parents will be moving to a dangerous war zone, is that our kids are losing their favorite babysitter, and the cheapest too,” she said.

Troy Wells, Baptist Health CEO, is the outgoing chair of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. He rattled off a number of successes the chamber had over the last year, including seven major economic development announcements, 1,005 new jobs created, $56 million in new payroll, and $248 million in new capital investment.

Nat Lea, WEHCO Media President and CEO, will serve as the 2025 chair of Little Rock chamber.