Mike Huckabee heads to Israel on Saturday for a 10-day trip where he will see the sights and meet with government officials.
Huckabee’s trip comes as the former Republican governor from Arkansas considers launching his second presidential bid.
“Israel is more than an American ally, she is a mirror image of America in commitment to religious liberty, women’s rights, free speech, elected government and an economic system based on free enterprise,” Huckabee said in a statement Thursday.
After visiting Israel “dozens of times,” Huckabee will lead a group of more than 250 people traveling to Israel with the governor.
Huckabee will need to find support again from his base of evangelical Christians to be successful in 2016, a constituency that staunchly supports Israel.
Huckabee will visit Jerusalem’s historic Old City and other sights including the Dead Sea as well as the Garden of Gethsemane, a religious site on the outskirts of Jerusalem where Jesus is believed to have prayed.