Friedman Sworn in as US Ambassador to Israel

Tzippe Barrow
03-30-2017

Share This article

JERUSALEM, Israel – Surrounded by his wife, Tammy, his five children and grandchildren, Attorney David Friedman took the oath of office Wednesday as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Friedman is arguably the most pro-"settlement" ambassador ever dispatched to the Jewish state. At one time, he served as the chief fundraiser for the Jewish community of Ofra, located in biblical Judea and Samaria, the disputed land the world calls the West Bank.  

Israel and the U.S. are negotiating on how these Jewish communities will be treated by the Trump administration. More than 430,000 Israelis live in these communities.  

Regardless of those policy issues, Vice President Mike Pence said Friedman's appointment proves the Trump administration has Israel's back. "The president of the United States of America is a lifelong friend of Israel and the Jewish people and under his leadership if the world knows nothing else, the world will know this: America stands with Israel."

Friedman added, "Those facts speak volumes about how highly the Trump-Pence administration prioritizes our unbreakable bond with the State of Israel."

Alongside Israeli U.S. Ambassador Ron Dermer, Friedman vowed to work "tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond" between the U.S. and Israel and to advance "the cause of peace within the region." He also supports the administration's plan to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

From his nomination through the Senate hearings and vote, support for Friedman's nomination fell pretty much along party lines. Only two Democrats, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, voted for his nomination.

 

Share This article

About The Author

Tzippe
Barrow

From her perch high atop the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, Tzippe Barrow tries to provide a bird's eye view of events unfolding in her country. Tzippe's parents were born to Russian Jewish immigrants, who fled the czar's pogroms to make a new life in America. As a teenager, Tzippe wanted to spend a summer in Israel, but her parents, sensing the very real possibility that she might want to live there, sent her and her sister to Switzerland instead. Twenty years later, the Lord opened the door to visit the ancient homeland of her people.
More