Israel Matzav

Mike Huckabee to speak at Shepherd's Hotel

Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee will speak at a reception at Jerusalem's Shepherd's Hotel next week according to a report that was confirmed on Wednesday. Contrary to a previous report, Huckabee will not do his Fox News program live from the site on which 20 new Jewish homes are to be constructed.

Huckabee's stop at the hotel will be part of a larger tour around the country, meant to highlight opposition to recent US policies, in particular the Obama administration's demands that Israel halt construction in east Jerusalem.

"This is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on Obama's policy in Jerusalem, which has just been a horror," New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told The Jerusalem Post.

Hikind, who will be traveling with Huckabee on the tour, also said he is planning to bring thousands of Americans, to Israel soon in a show of solidarity with the Jewish state.

"But Huckabee's arrival is significant because, this is a guy who's a major figure in America, and in my opinion will be a presidential candidate again," Hikind said. "To have a guy like him, you know, from Arkansas, come at this particular time, and say the kinds of things he's going to say, it's going to send a very strong message to the Israeli people and to the American administration."

Trip organizers were equally enthused, telling the Post that Huckabee was currently the No. 1 Republican consideration for the 2012 presidential race, and "one of the best friends Israel has in America."

"Huckabee has also said, in a personal conversation with me, that one of his first acts, should he be elected president, would be to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem," said the trip's organizer, Dr. Joseph Frager, who chairs the American Friends of Ateret Cohanim.

The Republican party has a lot of potential votes to gain from Jews who are disgusted with the scorn and disdain with which President Obama has treated Israel. Mike Huckabee is a religious Christian and an ordained Baptist minister. While unfortunately, there are many Jews who believe that all religious Christians want to convert us to Christianity, the fact is that without our Christian supporters, Israel would not enjoy the support that we enjoy in the US Congress (ask anyone at AIPAC). Curiously, in my experience, the fear of someone wanting to convert us seems to run much higher among non-Orthodox Jews than among the Orthodox (so do the intermarriage rates, as I think I mentioned the other day). In any event, given how miserably Israel and Jews have been treated under the Obama administration, I believe that many Jews will be willing to look at a Republican candidate in 2012 - even if the Republican candidate is a religious Christian.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:38 AM