TRUMP NAMES NEXT U.S. ENVOY TO JEWISH STATE WHO LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING FROM “ISRAEL’S ETERNAL CAPITOL JERUSALEM”
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Excellent news from President-elect Trump. How glorious to throw off the dark, ugly era of the anti-Israel Obama years.
Trump promises to move the US embassy to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. It’s exhilarating and wonderful.
Friedman went on: “The critical thing is to recognize that
there is not going to be any progress on a Palestinian state until the
Palestinians renounce violence and accept Israel as a Jewish state.
Until that happens, there is really nothing to talk about in terms of a
political process.”
Trump Announces Next US Envoy to Jewish State Will Be Attorney David
Friedman, Who Says He Looks Forward to Working From ‘Israel’s Eternal
Capital, Jerusalem’
Algemeiner, December 15, 2016:
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening he will
nominate attorney David Friedman to serve as the next American
ambassador to Israel.
“The bond between Israel and the United States runs deep, and I will
ensure there is no daylight between us when I’m president,” Trump said
in a statement published on his transition team’s website.
“As the United States’ ambassador to Israel, David Friedman will
maintain the special relationship between our two countries. He has been
a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me. His strong relationships
in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a
tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our
allies and strive for peace in the Middle East. Nothing is more critical
than protecting the security of our citizens at home and abroad.”
The 57-year-old Friedman — a Jewish Long Island native — was
regularly consulted with by Trump on Israel-related matters during the
presidential election campaign.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me by
President-elect Trump to represent the United States as its ambassador
to Israel,” Friedman said in statement on Thursday. “I intend to work
tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries
and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to
doing this from the US embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
Friedman — a founding partner of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres &
Friedman LLP — was referring to Trump’s campaign promise to move the
American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The litigation and bankruptcy law expert will take the place of Dan
Shapiro, who has served as the US envoy to the Jewish state since 2011.
In a pre-election interview with The Algemeiner in
early November, Friedman said that a Trump administration would not
expect Israel to uproot its citizens who now live in the West Bank and
east Jerusalem as part of any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
“It is inconceivable there could be a mass evacuation on that
magnitude, in the unlikely event that there was an otherwise
comprehensive peace agreement,” Friedman said. “It makes no sense for
Judea and Samaria to be ‘Judenrein [void of Jews],’ any more than it
makes sense for Israel to be ‘Arabrein [void of Arabs].’ It’s not fair.”
This would mark a departure from the Obama administration, which
criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year
after he said, as reported by The Algemeiner, that the main obstacle to peace was the demand of Palestinian leaders for the “ethnic cleansing” of Jews from the West Bank.
Friedman went on: “The critical thing is to recognize that
there is not going to be any progress on a Palestinian state until the
Palestinians renounce violence and accept Israel as a Jewish state.
Until that happens, there is really nothing to talk about in terms of a
political process.”
What a Trump administration would not do, Friedman said, “is put its
finger on the scale and try to force Israel into a particular outcome,
but rather will support Israel in reaching its own conclusion about how
to best achieve peace with its neighbors.”
“We trust Israel,” he continued. “We think it is doing an excellent
job of balancing its respect for human rights and its security needs in a
very difficult neighborhood. Israel is a partner with the US in the
global war against terrorism. And we want our partner to be attendant to
that task and not distracted by foreign countries telling it what to
do. That’s really the overall premise of the policy — to respect Israel
as a partner, and not to unduly influence its decisions.”
Furthermore, Friedman said, “The only thing that makes sense now is
to take small steps to try to improve circumstances on the ground and
provide encouragement and assistance to Palestinians who are not
pursuing a hateful agenda.”