Washington (dpa) – The Senate confirmed US President Donald Trump’s choice to serve as ambassador to Israel on Thursday. The upper chamber approved David Friedman 52-46 to the post. Friedman advised Trump throughout his presidential campaign and has taken a hard-line position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, going after US Jewish groups who support a two-state solution…
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The Zionist Organization of America issued the following statement:
ZOA’s Morton A. Klein said, “The ZOA sincerely congratulates Amb. David Friedman on this wonderful achievement in a life filled with many achievements. Amb Friedman’s parents Rabbi and Ms. Morris Friedman and Hashem by their side are welling up with pride and joy. This is a great day for America, Israel, the Jewish people, and Amb. David Friedman. He will be the most pro-Israel pro-America Ambassador to Israel in history. He is the first U.S. Ambassador to Israel that has a realistic, rational view of the issues affecting all the parties there. We applaud Senators Menendez of New Jersey and Manchin of West Virginia as Democrats who voted for Amb. Friedman.”
Americans for Peace Now issued the following statement:
Americans for Peace Now (APN) strongly opposed Friedman’s confirmation and worked hard to thwart it.
We still believe that Mr. Friedman is the wrong person to represent our country in Israel. A long paper trail of extremist views on West Bank settlements, on the occupation, on the Palestinians, on American Jews and non-Jews who take issue with his extremist views, his slander of American diplomats and civil servants, and, of President Obama, whom he called an anti-Semite, should have disqualified Friedman from serving as America’s ambassador to the State of Israel.
In his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Friedman systematically walked back and regretted his inflammatory rhetoric, to the extent that Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker told Friedman he found it “fairly extraordinary” to hear him “recant every strongly-held belief that you had.”
Friedman will have to work hard to convince Americans, Israelis, Palestinians and the world that he deserves the trust he received today from a little more than half of the Senate to faithfully represent the interests of the United States overseas.
Americans who care deeply about Israeli-Palestinian peace as both an American national security interest and as a condition for Israel’s existence as a democracy and a Jewish state, will closely monitor both his words and actions.
APN will do just that, and will call Mr. Friedman’s conduct out when we believe his words and actions do a disservice to the United States — or Israel.
The Republican Jewish Coalition issued the following statement:
Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks released the following statement:
“We strongly applaud the Senate in approving David Friedman as our next Ambassador to Israel. As someone deeply versed in the issues affecting the region, as well as being a long time confidant of President Trump, Mr. Friedman will be an effective and important voice representing the United States. With Mr. Friedman as our new Ambassador, there is no question that the relationship between the U.S. and Israel will grow stronger.
“The RJC is proud of our efforts supporting Mr. Friedman’s nomination. Along with running digital ads in the home states of Democrat Senators, we were able to connect thousands of pro-Israel Americans with their Senators so as to express their support for Mr. Friedman’s nomination.”
Daniel Sokatch, CEO of the New Israel Fund, issued the following statement:
Those of us who have been following his confirmation process understand that, while he did get the job, his extreme ultra-nationalist views were repudiated. We saw the American Jewish community object. We heard scholars and diplomats protest. And in order to get the narrow margin of votes he needed, at his confirmation hearing, Friedman disavowed almost everything he previously claimed to believe in. (Keep in mind that all of Friedman’s predecessors were confirmed without a single “no” vote.)
We were all a part of that effort — we called Senators, wrote in the paper, and shared on social media. The opposition we helped mobilize will be significant going forward.
Right now, though, it’s clear that his confirmation is going to put more pressure on Israeli NGOs to hold bad policies at bay.
Until recently, the United States had always sought to help Israel make peace with its neighbors. Democratic and Republican administrations alike have always understood that the occupation is a moral burden and a strategic danger. And the USA has always spoken up in defense of democratic values, including the need to protect human rights and minority rights.
Now that Friedman will be the U.S. ambassador to Israel, the work of Israeli civil society organizations — to speak up for democracy, to press for an end to the occupation, and to defend civil and human rights — just got more important.
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement explaining her vote against David Friedman’s nomination to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel:
“Considering the close relationship between our two countries, the next Ambassador to Israel should be a unifying figure who can work collaboratively and diplomatically to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance and advance American interests in the region. After a careful review of Mr. Friedman’s past statements and policy positions, I could not support him. Alarmingly, he has demonized large sections of the American Jewish population – including some of my colleagues – he has insulted Palestinians, and his policy positions suggest he doesn’t support a two-state solution or lasting peace in the Middle East. The relationship between our countries is too important to jeopardize with the appointment of someone who has a record of such controversial and polarizing statements and policy.”
Over the past few years, Friedman has made a variety of inappropriate and inflammatory comments that raise questions about his diplomatic abilities, and his lack of diplomatic experience. Friedman has previously accused President Obama of engaging in “blatant anti-Semitism,” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of “appeasing terrorists,” liberal Jews of being “far worse than Kapos [Nazi collaborators],” and said the Palestinian people “worship death.” He’s praised Vladimir Putin’s leadership abilities and argued that Muslim immigrants should not have access to the First Amendment or the rights to free speech or privacy. Friedman has also advocated for the expansion of Israeli settlements and for the Israeli annexation of the West Bank, which would destabilize the region and make a peaceful two-state solution nearly impossible. If enacted, his views would constitute a radical departure of previous U.S. policy towards the Middle East.