Incoming US envoy Huckabee says Trump to bring Mideast change of ‘biblical proportions’
Herzog tells Fox News US president’s proposal to relocate Gazans is a ‘new idea’ that could cause ‘real change,’ but urges wishes of Egypt, Jordan, other Arab nations be respected
Incoming US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Sunday that the Trump administration is likely to bring changes of “biblical proportions” to the Middle East, as Arab nations continued to react with alarm to the new US president’s proposal to clear out the population of Gaza and take ownership of the Strip.
“As long as Hamas exists, that is a threat to the Israelis,” Huckabee said in an interview on Fox News. “They want the destruction of the Jewish state.”
“One thing we know is that Hamas is not going to be able to exist,” Huckabee continued. “That’s just a done deal.”
Huckabee, who has been tapped for the role but yet to be confirmed by the US Senate, endorsed Trump’s proposal for a Gaza — in which he suggested that the entire population of the Strip should be resettled elsewhere, enabling it to be rebuilt as a tourist mecca — saying the US president “did something bold.”
The Trump proposal has been met with widespread condemnation from most Arab countries, who have resisted accepting any Gazan refugees throughout the grueling 16-month war, and have seen any attempts to move the population, even temporarily, as a threat to Palestinian self-realization and their claims to the land.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who initially seemed surprised at Trump’s comments that the US would “take over” Gaza, has since then endorsed the proposal, calling it “the first good idea that I’ve heard.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz shortly afterward instructed the military to prepare a plan that would enable Gazans seeking to leave the Strip voluntarily to do so.
Still, most observers view Trump’s proposal as highly improbable, with Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others saying they will refuse to take part in any mass displacement of Palestinians, and no other countries seemingly volunteering for such a fraught role.
“Let’s hope that people will listen to President Trump,” said Huckabee on Sunday. “He’s not thinking outside the box. He throws out the box and says let’s start with a blank slate.”
Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, a longtime proponent of Israel and a former Baptist minister, said that “I think we will achieve something of biblical proportions during this administration in the Middle East.”
In his own interview on Fox News on Sunday, President Isaac Herzog said Trump’s proposition for the Strip is the first “new idea” to have been put forward in years, but he appeared to stop short of endorsing it.
“I believe that President Trump ignited a major process that I hope will bring real change, because we must change the reality on the ground,” Herzog told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo.
Asked whether he supports the plan, the president stressed the importance of working in cooperation with Israel’s regional allies.
Speaking today to @MariaBartiromo on @SundayFutures @FoxNews, I showed the shocking and distressing image of Eli Sharabi as he was released – starved and tortured – after nearly 500 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
I thanked @POTUS @realDonaldTrump for pushing forward with the… pic.twitter.com/bTxUKHryG3
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) February 9, 2025
“Both Jordan and Egypt, and the Abraham Accords partners… they are partners that must be listened to, must be discussed with, we have to honor their [feelings] as well, and see how we build a plan that is sustainable for the future,” Herzog said.
He added, however, that he supports ensuring “that Gaza changes ownership” out of Hamas’s hands.
It has to be ensured that “these terrorists, these thugs, these barbaric people do not repeat the same old control that [creates] such huge suffering for their own people,” Herzog said.
“There has to be a future for the children of Gaza and the children of Israel… and only under the leadership of President Trump do we see a new idea come forward,” he added. He called on Israel’s neighbors to present their own suggestions “if you have any better idea.”
Herzog revealed that Trump is slated to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although he gave no dates for the talks. He also noted that Trump is due to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah in the coming days, which Jordan’s state news agency has already reported.
“President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well,” Herzog said.
Egypt meanwhile announced on Sunday that it will host an emergency Arab summit on Feb. 27 to discuss “new and dangerous developments” following Trump’s proposition.
A statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry said it would host the Arab League summit in Cairo following talks at the highest level in Arab countries in recent days, “including the state of Palestine that asked to hold the summit in order to discuss new and dangerous developments for the Palestinian cause.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
