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Last update - 12:24 19/08/2008
Mike Huckabee: A divided Jerusalem is 'unimaginable'
By Cnaan Liphshiz
Tags: israel, u.s. elections 

One of America's most prominent Christian politicians gained a new title Monday in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter, when his host jokingly called him "Huckabee the Maccabee."

Mike Huckabee, who earlier this year lost to John McCain in the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, earned the title from Mati Dan, founder of the Ateret Cohanim religious seminary, for expressing support for the settlement of Jews in the quarter and for calling a potential division of Jerusalem "unimaginable."

In what can be seen as criticism of U.S. President George W. Bush's efforts to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Huckabee told Haaretz: "It's naive when people think that you're going to have a couple of politicians get together and solve the conflict in the Middle East." He then added: "It's more than naive. There's a level of arrogance there."
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The former governor of Arkansas, who is an ordained minister with close ties to prominent Christian evangelists, also talked about his faith's role in shaping his understanding of the Middle East. While visiting Jeremiah's Cave near the Nablus Gate, the rumored vice presidential nominee said: "My belief does not influence my views on foreign policy, but at the same time it has clearly given me perspective on the depth of the history of the Middle East. If you've studied the Bible you certainly understand this conflict didn't start in the 1940s. It started with Isaac and Ishmael."

The two-day visit to Israel - Huckabee's 10th - came at the invitation of the Jerusalem Reclamation Project, a New York foundation working to move Jews into the Muslim Quarter. Dr. Joseph Frager, chairman of the foundation's board, said he thought that Huckabee's statements about Jerusalem and on other issues were very different to statements by other American politicians. "Huckabee is a straight shooter and he speaks with one voice," Frager said.

Commenting on claims by some political analysts that despite his pro-Israel stance the American politician had failed in matching some of his rivals' popularity among Jewish voters, Frager countered that "most Jews vote Democrat anyway," adding: "I don't think you can really determine whether Huckabee had less success with the Jewish vote."

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      1.   The Christian fundamentalists are no better than fundamentalist M 05:20  |  Canadian 19/08/08
      2.   Huckabee is a truly good man 05:49  |  Lindsay 19/08/08
      3.   Huckabee What??? Cool!!! 06:47  |  C.A. Fulghum 19/08/08
      4.   #1:"But my covenant will I establish with Isaac" Genesis 17:19-21 06:56  |  mary for jews 19/08/08
      5.   Huckleberry is a politician 07:24  |  Natallie Durson 19/08/08
      6.   Lindsay`s comments 07:46  |  Canadian 19/08/08
      7.   A United Jerusalem is an Imagination 08:17  |  isratinian 19/08/08
      8.   Jerusalem is exclusively Jewish. 08:19  |  Jean Van Daem 19/08/08
      9.   Another panderer fundamentalist christian 08:34  |  Steve the Pals. 19/08/08
      10.   Nutallie, Nutallie, Nutallie 09:07  |  Gregor 19/08/08
      11.   mary for jews 09:32  |  antoine 19/08/08
      12.   The free market should decide who lives in Jerusalem 09:33  |  David G 19/08/08
      13.   Just another a-hole from the US 10:03  |  Chanalau, Tova 19/08/08
      14.   An American Shmuck 10:30  |  MR 19/08/08
      15.   funny thing about evangelists... 10:34  |  eric 19/08/08
      16.   Huckabee doesn`t choose to live in Israel 11:44  |  JJ burke 19/08/08
      17.   "It started with Isaac and Ishmael" 12:00  |  Axel 19/08/08
      18.   #gregor 12:28  |  fk 19/08/08
      19.   mary for jews-Huckabee wants rapture 12:30  |  examiner 19/08/08
      20.   Jerusalem was NEVER... 12:32  |  Charles 19/08/08
      21.   ERIC Funny how you trot out anti semitic when it suits you 12:42  |  PETER SM 19/08/08
      22.   CHANALAU for somebody who boycotts Israel 13:01  |  PETER SM 19/08/08
      23.   A divided Jerusalem is `unimaginable` . 13:05  |  Akram Zekaria 19/08/08
      24.   Huckabee is A homosexual 13:05  |  Hamjoum 19/08/08
      25.   EXAMINER so do the left. 13:18  |  PETER SM 19/08/08
      26.   PRAY FOR; 13:22  |  Rozz 19/08/08
      27.   The real situation 13:29  |  anonymous 19/08/08
      28.   tova the bad and a d- in arithmetic 13:33  |  v.hardman 19/08/08
      29.   no 8... jean van daem 13:34  |  ravi 19/08/08
      30.   dont want to divide jerusalem....? 13:36  |  ravi 19/08/08
      31.   PETER SM 13:36  |  examiner 19/08/08
      32.   for fk who wrote #18/Galatians 4:22-31 and 5:1 13:43  |  Rozz 19/08/08
      33.   # 4 There is no Israelite or Jewish race 13:45  |  John Isenhower 19/08/08
      34.   Canadian Muslim 13:54  |  x-ray 19/08/08
      35.   4. mary for jews, quoting your own scripture is not helpful.In 14:01  |  lakshmi 19/08/08
      36.   I NEED TO BE ENLIGHTENED 14:04  |  Rozz 19/08/08
      37.   Huckabee backs Christian Zionist line deadly to Israel 14:16  |  Ivar 19/08/08
      38.   hamjoun, the foul-mouthed non-entity! 14:20  |  Rozz 19/08/08
      39.   Then make it one state 14:25  |  Clint Eastwood 19/08/08
      40.   Huckabee is right 14:26  |  Brod 19/08/08
      41.   Why Christians Support United Jerusalem 14:39  |  Observer 19/08/08
      42.   To Eric from NM. 14:42  |  M. Franks-Lhermann 19/08/08
      43.   United Jerusalem 14:43  |  pamela 19/08/08
      44.   Fading religions 14:48  |  Said 19/08/08
      45.   Fading religions 14:48  |  Said 19/08/08
      46.   Good Man Vs Bad Man 14:48  |  Mary 19/08/08
      47.   If you`ve studied the Bible? History Books show Jews from Europe 14:48  |  Tupac 19/08/08
      48.   Brod, Jews were not returned to Palestine by God 15:09  |  Ivar 19/08/08
      49.   It started with Isaac and Ishmael? Sorry I wasn`t around then 15:21  |  Tupac 19/08/08
      50.   x-ray: Christians/Catholics have persecuted Jews 15:26  |  Tupac 19/08/08
      51.   #41 Observer..You Have Stated Tghe Obvious.. 15:33  |  KATHY 19/08/08
      52.   For Said and Hamjoun 15:34  |  ZISD 19/08/08
      53.   #34 response to x-ray 15:43  |  Warren J. 19/08/08
      54.   #47;Tupac, just for the record... 15:45  |  Doc Holliday 19/08/08
      55.   Christians are lunatics and ignorants 15:55  |  JMK 19/08/08
      56.   Steve the Pals 15:58  |  Utagawa 19/08/08
      57.   chameleons and power 15:59  |  charles 19/08/08
      58.   A "Straight Shooter" 16:05  |  Peter 19/08/08
      59.   #52 ZISD 16:10  |  Labhras 19/08/08
      60.   Jew-HATERS DECEIVE for Expansionist Islam. Already ARAB Pal State 16:11  |  Linda Rivera 19/08/08
      61.   Rozz 16:19  |  fk 19/08/08
      62.   Ravi and Lahksmi 16:20  |  utagawa 19/08/08
      63.   #54 Hey Doc Holliday..Did You See The Article About DNA Info? 16:22  |  KATHY 19/08/08
      64.   Ivar # 42: a complete lack of knowledge of God’s covenant with Is 16:34  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 19/08/08
      65.   Not possible to share with Arabs 16:36  |  utagawa 19/08/08
      66.   Linda, if there REALLY was a jewish state in 1922... 16:37  |  noor 19/08/08
      67.   For Mary in Boston: Are we reading the same forum? 16:47  |  Truthteller 19/08/08
      68.   #47 Tupac...just for the record 16:51  |  Lynn 19/08/08
      69.   Linda who seems uninformed part 2 16:53  |  noor 19/08/08
      70.   #48 Ivar of Estonia...most of the "suicidal path" 16:53  |  Lynn 19/08/08
      71.   #24 Hamjoun....you guys already gave it a couple of shots 16:59  |  Lynn 19/08/08
      72.