A leading Israeli newspaper just ran an editorial detailing multiple stories of state-fueled vigilante violence and impunity: torched cars, raids, and shootings. Days before that, a mob of Israeli settlers attacked Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning film No Other Land in front of his family and home.

Yet, when Senator Chris Van Hollen recently asked Mike Huckabee, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Israel, whether Palestinians living in the West Bank should have the same rights as Israeli Jews, he replied, “Senator, if you mean would they be able to live freely, they already do.”

Checkpoints, mob violence, detention, land theft — this is Huckabee’s version of Palestinians living freely. It’s an abhorrent worldview, and with lives on the line across Israel and Palestine, it’s up to us to remind every senator what’s on the line before they vote on Huckabee’s nomination tomorrow. 

Right now, every effort should be to renew a ceasefire, bring the hostages home, and begin building a path toward peace for Palestinians and Israelis. Confirming a nominee like Huckabee will only help deepen divisions and drive further violence and suffering.

That’s why we need every Senator to hear from activists like you, who are dedicated to building a lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike, that Mike Huckabee is not fit for the job.