President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selection of David Friedman as United States ambassador to Israel is a serious mistake that should be rectified. Spoken and published statements by Mr. Friedman, a 57-year-old bankruptcy lawyer in New York, about Israel and American policies in the Mideast suggest he is unsuitable to represent America in one of the most high-pressure diplomatic positions in the world. This call to withdraw Mr. Friedman’s name also reflects a sober assessment of the damage that could be caused to American interests and to Mr. Trump’s presidency by the reckless words for which Mr. Friedman is already known.
American presidents have long bestowed diplomatic assignments on unqualified loyalists and campaign donors. The appointments to Israel, however, had been an exception because of the significance of the issues the ambassador must deal with every day. It is therefore regrettable that someone so lacking in experience and knowledge — and sadly, who appears to have little interest in broadening his understanding — will represent the United States in Israel.
Mr. Friedman is unqualified for the position, but more important, he holds extreme views on the very issues that he will need to manage as a diplomat. Mr. Friedman would be representing not the American people but a small, extreme minority of Americans who have in mind the interests of a small, extreme minority in Israel.
Mr. Friedman has been publicly arguing that Israel has a right to build settlements and annex parts of the West Bank. He believes that the United States should recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He considers pro-peace groups such as J Street the equivalent of the Jewish kapos who collaborated with the Nazis at concentration camps.
His appointment suggests that Mr. Trump is comfortable with these positions, which is extremely perilous and unwise. If Mr. Trump does not agree with Mr. Friedman, but has appointed him because of personal ties and loyalty, then it is clear that Mr. Trump either does not know or does not care that the Friedman appointment could severely damage the United States and his administration.
Through his other appointments thus far, Mr. Trump has made it clear that he wants to take American policy in an abruptly new direction. In the Middle East, especially in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr. Trump’s approach is a prescription for trouble and the loss of American credibility.
The consequences of acting upon Mr. Friedman’s public suggestions are clearly dangerous. Moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem — not a pressing issue for most Israelis — will inspire riots across the Islamic world. The United States will rightly be accused of violating the very advice we have given to others to avoid taking unilateral actions on inflammatory issues.
It appears to me that Kurtzer is providing wise counsel on this matter.
Nominating Friedman is not only getting the U.S. involved in foreign entanglements but spreading gasoline on the foreign fire.
-RW
Getting us involved in foreign entanglements? Hahaha. Zionist millionaires and billionaires do with this country what they will. All our public servants serve the unAmerican Jewish state, Israel, first. Trump never pretended he would change this, he went to AIPAC like every other ZOG collaborator and kissed Satan's backside.
ReplyDeleteMoving US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a great idea. It will finally make the US the lightning rod of Arab anger and not Israel. This will move Arabs into Russian sphere hastening Israel's demise.
ReplyDeleteTrump was, is, and will always be Israel's dog, just as Hillary was, is, and will always be Israel's bitch.
ReplyDeleteComing from America just under thirty years ago Israel has and will continue to have its problems but I have found 90% or more of the Arab people are law abiding kind people. There is a problem with the 10% who want every Jewish person dead and will attempt to find a way to make it so. The problems are with the minority of Arabs who are incensed,inflamed,and outraged, by just about anything that the Jewish people do inflammatory issues are and will continue to be a problem for them. Each and every time Israel has attempted to appease the Arabs Israel was the one who was shot in the foot and many Jewish lives were lost, it really does not matter what we do as Jewish people,to these Incensed Arabs it only matters that we are Jewish. While I am sure Daniel C. Kurtzer is a very intelligent and well meaning man, he lives and the people that believe what he does live in an alternative universe, the rest of us who actually live here, have are feet on the ground, not our head buried in it. Good Blessings.
ReplyDeleteisrael does a great job of complaining no matter what the deal is....usa gives them 3 billion a year - they complain....usa says they can take jerusalem - they complain...yada yada yada...immoral negotiating at it's finest
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