Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who twice ran unsuccessfully for president, is to be named America’s ambassador to Israel, according to reports.

One of Mr Huckabee’s first acts will reportedly be to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a gesture of solidarity with Israel which will enrage the country’s Arab neighbours.

Reports of Mr Huckabee’s appointment were published in several outlets both in the United States and Israel, but were later denied by Mr Huckabee who said he had "never discussed" the appointment with President-elect Trump and that the position not be filled until a new State Department hierarchy was in place.

If it was confirmed, his appointment to a politically sensitive post would be the first indication of a shift in US foreign policy under a Trump administration, even though during the campaign the president-elect had professed neutrality over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.