As President-elect Donald Trump assembles his cabinet and key advisers, the backgrounds of his appointees and his first term offer clues to his potential strategy for the Middle East. What direction might his choices signal?

First, his picks for the Pentagon, State Department, national security adviser, Special Envoy to the Middle East, and ambassador to Israel all share a strong, in some cases theologically rooted, attachment to Israel and commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship.

At the 2019 National Council of Young Israel Gala, Trump’s choice for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, who affiliates with groups that identify as Christian nationalist, stated, “Zionism and Americanism are the frontlines for Western civilization and freedom.” Meanwhile, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, adheres to the Christian Evangelical belief that the return of Jews to Israel validates the biblical narrative. “Everything that I embrace as a Christian,” he says, “is rooted in the promises that God gave to the Jewish people.”

In Trump’s first administration, there were religiously motivated individuals in key national security roles, like former national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn (ret.), but not to the extent seen in the current lineup. Others, like Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Ambassador to the U.N., Elise Stefanik, rely less on specific doctrinal themes, but are strong supporters not only of Israel but also of its current government’s policies.