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david friedman
As Palestinians Mark 71st Anniversary of Mass Eviction, Trump's Ambassador to Israel Claims Country Is 'On the Side of God'
"Israel can not be the only country of the 194 countries on Earth that stands on the side of God."
May 15, 2019
Further solidifying human rights advocates' fears that the Trump administration's policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is solely focused on satisfying the Israeli government, a top U.S. diplomat in the region suggested Tuesday that Israel's authority in the Middle East is God-ordained.
At an event marking the first anniversary of the U.S. embassy's move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, U.S. Ambassdor to Israel David Friedman remarked that the relationship between the two countries is growing stronger because "Israel has one secret weapon that no other country has: Israel is on the side of God."
\u201c'#Israel has one secret weapon that no other country has. Israel is on the side of God and we don't want to underestimate that,' @USAmbIsrael tells a crowd at the #Jerusalem embassy move anniversary:\u201d— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS English) 1557850386
The comments came hours before Palestinians gathered at the Israel-Gaza border to mark a different anniversary--71 years after the Nakba when about 700,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes when Israel was established.
Friedman's remarks were met with disbelief and outrage from critics including James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.
\u201cThis falls into the category of \u201cno comment because I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m reading this\u201d - @nytimes headline \u201cU.S. Ambassador Says Israel Is \u2018on the Side of God\u2019\u201d https://t.co/xU2HYLSztQ\u201d— James J. Zogby (@James J. Zogby) 1557926428
Yousef Munayyer, who heads the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, argued that such a statement from a top Trump administration official undermines any hope that may still remain that the current U.S. government hopes to reach an equitable solution to the conflict.
\u201cThe US Ambassador says "Israel is on the side of God" but somehow Palestinians are supposed to take this administration's approach to mediation seriously? \n\nThe Trump administration is a balagan of epic proportions.\u201d— Yousef Munayyer (@Yousef Munayyer) 1557862878
Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel who served in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, said the remark would have been more suitable coming from "the far-right Orthodox Jewish community" than a government official.
"As the supposed ambassador of the United States government and all its people, it is an extremely inappropriate comment," Kurtzer told the New York Times.
The transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem last year also coincided with Nakba Day, when the Israeli military killed nearly 60 Palestinian protesters who were holding border demonstrations, as Trump administration members celebrated miles away.
In addition to moving the embassy--over the objections of the United Nations and several U.S. allies--the U.S. has also slashed Palestinian aid, putting millions at an even greater risk for malnutrition and disease than they already are due to Israel's occupation and blockade. The Trump administration also closed the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Washington, D.C. in 2018, drawing accusations of "American collusion with Israel's occupation" from the PLO.
Saeb Erakat, the Palestinians' chief negotiator who has accused the Trump administration of destroying the possibility of a two-state solution with its vehemently pro-Israel policy, wrote that Friedman's comments represent a new extreme position in President Donald Trump's agenda.
What ambassador Friedman is telling Palestinians--Christians and Muslims," he wrote on Twitter, is "that God is against them (or that they're enemies of God). This was never an American position."
\u201cDr. Saeb Erakat: \nWhat ambassador Freedman is telling Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, that God is against them (or that they\u2019re enemies of God). This was never an American position . Israel has two secret weapons now: Nuclear, and A Biblical Ambassador .\u201d— Dr. Saeb Erakat \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0643\u062a\u0648\u0631 \u0635\u0627\u0626\u0628 \u0639\u0631\u064a\u0642\u0627\u062a (@Dr. Saeb Erakat \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0643\u062a\u0648\u0631 \u0635\u0627\u0626\u0628 \u0639\u0631\u064a\u0642\u0627\u062a) 1557924276
\u201cI do not think that it is appropriate to refer to God (the most merciful )as a weapon. Israel can not be the only country of the 194 countries on earth that stands on the side of God.\u201d— Dr. Saeb Erakat \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0643\u062a\u0648\u0631 \u0635\u0627\u0626\u0628 \u0639\u0631\u064a\u0642\u0627\u062a (@Dr. Saeb Erakat \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0643\u062a\u0648\u0631 \u0635\u0627\u0626\u0628 \u0639\u0631\u064a\u0642\u0627\u062a) 1557924276
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Unprecedented Opposition as Senate Votes to Approve David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel
Following the vote to approve David Friedman as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jewish Voice for Peace issued this statement from government affairs manager Rabbi Joseph Berman:
Mar 23, 2017
Following the vote to approve David Friedman as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jewish Voice for Peace issued this statement from government affairs manager Rabbi Joseph Berman:
"We applaud those senators who voted against President Trump's appointment of David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel. The unprecedented opposition to Friedman is a sign of both his unfitness for the office and of growing opposition to settlements and Israeli policies that deny Palestinians full equal rights. David Friedman has demonstrated his dedication to advancing Israel's illegal settlement enterprise, and used hateful and hurtful speech towards Palestinians and Muslims as well as Jewish critics of Israel's occupation. Friedman's statements and positions should have disqualified him from this appointment.
The vote to approve David Friedman's nomination passed along nearly party lines, a sign of the growing partisan divide over support for Israel. According to a Pew Research Center Poll from January 2017, the divide between Democrats and Republicans over support for Israel is wider than it has been in decades. After nearly 50 years of military occupation and decades more of displacement and discrimination against Palestinians, support for Palestinian rights is growing. This broad opposition to Friedman's nomination is a testament to the efforts of grassroots activists around the country. Constituents are working to hold their elected officials accountable to resisting Trump's agenda and to a vision of equal rights and justice for all people both in the Middle East and in the United States."
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As Israel Surges Further Rightward, US Under Trump Follows Suit
Amid settlement expansion and clampdown on free expression, new U.S. ambassador represents worst case scenario for Palestinian rights
Mar 09, 2017
The United States appears to be marching in lockstep with the Israeli government's extremist surge with the likely confirmation of David Friedman, President Donald Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to approve Friedman on Thursday with Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey joining the panel's Republicans in a 12-9 vote. His confirmation now heads to the full Senate, where Democrats don't have the ability to block his nomination.
As Anna Massoglia, political researcher for the Center for Responsive Politics' Open Secrets project, noted on Twitter:
\u201cSenate Foreign Relations approved Ambassador to Israel David Friedman 12-9. Only D voting yes was Menendez\u2014who he gave max campaign donation\u201d— Anna Massoglia (@Anna Massoglia) 1489081312
The nomination of Friedman, a hard-line conservative, provoked outrage over his views supporting settlement expansion onto Palestinian territory, his dismissal of the two-state solution, and his advocacy for moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (among other things).
Following the committee vote, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) said that Friedman's "dedication to advancing Israel's illegal settlement enterprise, his support for extremist Israeli policies, harsh attitude towards critics of Israel's occupation, and anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia should disqualify him from appointment as U.S. ambassador to Israel."
Notably, the committee's ranking minority member Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) publicly denounced Friedman after he was swarmed by calls opposing the nomination, which JVP said was "a testament to the efforts of grassroots constituents who are working to hold their elected officials accountable to a vision of equal rights and justice for all people in the region."
Friedman's ascension to power comes at the same time that the Israeli government has moved to clamp down on free expression.
On Monday evening, the Israeli Parliament passed a law that bans entry to foreigners that publicly support the pro-Palestinian rights Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which also coincides with a massive expansion of settlement construction in the West Bank.
The new law also applies to those who speak out against the new settlements.
While it is unclear how Israel plans to implement the ban, Michael Sfard, an Israeli lawyer and political activist specializing in international human rights, said that is a clear violation of international human rights law.
"Countries have wide discretion to allow are deny entry to foreigners," Sfard toldMondoweiss. "However, international human rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's opinion and provides freedom of conscious and thought. The law is definitely a violation of both."
While the pro-Israeli lobby group J Street is concerned that that measure will "further isolate the country [and] validate Israel's critics," it coincides not only with the rise of Friedman but also with an effort within the United States to censor the BDS movement.
Following its passage, the U.S. State Department gave a muted rebuke of the law, which it defended as being the "sovereign" right of Israel.
"While we oppose boycotts and sanctions of the state of Israel, we also support firmly freedom of expression," said State Department spokesperson Mark Toner. "That said, it's--this is a sovereign decision for Israel to make regarding its borders."
For his part, Friedman co-authored a November 2016 op-ed which argued that the BDS effort should be "viewed as inherently anti-Semitic" as it is based on the "false notion that Israel is an occupier." The commentary also called on the U.S. to "take strong measures, both diplomatic and legislative, to thwart" the movement.
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