Foreign Affairs

Trump’s Pick For Israel Is Good News For Netanyahu

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President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, far more closely aligns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s views than President Barack Obama.

The two main disagreements between Obama and Netanyahu center on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Friedman is currently a columnist for a pro-settler website in Israel. After news of his announcement broke, a leading pro-settler activist told Haaretz, “David Friedman is a friend and a true partner of Israel and the settlements.”

Obama’s Department  of State conversely reserved its harshest diplomatic language to condemn Israeli settlements, and frequently, as well as publicly, sparred with Netanyahu over the issue. The State Department “strongly condemned” Netaynahu’s support for more settlements and said they “seriously undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.”

Friedman also previously expressed skepticism of a Palestinian state, saying he questioned the need for it. Friedman also strongly condemned Palestinian leadership in the West Bank. “The Palestinian leadership, including the PA, has undermined any chance for peace with Israel by raising generations of Palestinian children on an educational program of hatred of Israel and Jews,” he wrote in a Nov. 2 statement on the Trump campaign’s behalf.

Friedman may also spearhead U.S. efforts to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Current U.S. law recognizes Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel, and that the U.S. should move its embassy there. Past U.S. presidents have pledged to move the embassy, but demurred after it became clear that Arab governments would strongly protest the action. Jerusalem is also a holy site in Islam, and is claimed by some Palestinians as their rightful capital.

Friedman’s acceptance statement indicated he too would support the Jerusalem initiative saying, “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 U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”

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