Mayor Oliner joins Huckabee in Jerusalem

Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner joined former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on a fact-finding mission to Israel this week, in conjunction with Ateret Cohanim. The group visited the family of American Israeli kidnap victim Naftali Frenkel and both chief rabbis.

Oliner, chairman of Religious Zionists of America, was accompanied by Ateret Cohanim executive council member Robert Kopell of Woodmere and Dr. Paul Brody of Great Neck.

Huckabee, an ardent supporter of Israel who has visited the Holy Land often, toured sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, met with both chief rabbis and with Knesset members.

Last year he visited Auschwitz.

Huckabee explained his support of Israel as standing on “a very short line.”

The only explanation for Israel’s “existence in the modern world is G-d’s providence,” he said. The line to stand with Israel is a very short one, he added.

“And since I always like to get in the short line, I don’t mind being at the very front of that line.”