Rubin Margules, Chair, Morton Klein, President, and the National Board of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) are thrilled to congratulate our dear friends Governor (now Ambassador!) Mike Huckabee and (now Under Secretary) Elbridge Colby on their respective Senate confirmations today to become the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

We believe that Amb. Huckabee will be one of the greatest ambassadors ever to the Jewish State, offering vital support and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship at this critical moment when Israel is facing grave threats on multiple fronts. Amb. Huckabee also understands the great danger a Palestinian terrorist state would pose, as the Palestinian regime continues to pay Palestinian Arabs lifetime pensions to murder Jews and sent Arab terrorists to participate in the massacre of October 7. As ZOA wrote to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of Ambassador Huckabee’s confirmation, Amb. Huckabee has an extraordinary understanding of Israel’s history, legal rights to her land and on-the-ground realities. His U.S. State Department Certificate of Competency noted that Amb. Huckabee’s multiple visits to Israel over the past fifty years have given him a deep familiarity with Israel’s leaders and people. (See “ZOA Urges U.S. Senate to Confirm Gov. Huckabee As U.S. Ambassador to Israel & Dismiss Reform Jewish Movement’s Nonsensical Attack,” Feb. 24, 2025.)

Under Secretary Elbridge Colby is likewise the right person for the defense policy post at this important juncture. During his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee last month and in private conversations with Morton Klein, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Colby stated that a nuclear-armed Iran poses an existential danger given Tehran’s nearness to producing atomic weapons, and affirmed that he would advise Defense Secretary Hegseth and President Trump to use credible and realistic military alternatives to stop the Iranian regime. We are confident that Under Secretary Colby will vigorously carry forward the administration’s strong pro-Israel policies.

ZOA wishes Ambassador Huckabee and Under Secretary Colby “hatzlacha” – much success in their new positions.