FANNING THE FLAMES

Trump Names David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel

U.S. Jews slam selection of David Friedman as “reckless.”

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named far-right Israel supporter David Friedman as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel, a move that angered liberal U.S. Jewish groups. In a statement announcing his decision, Trump said he was confident Friedman would “maintain the special relationship between our two countries.” Friedman, a Long Island bankruptcy lawyer who has no previous diplomatic experience, has previously likened liberal American Jews to Jews who helped the Nazis during the Holocaust and advocated for Israel to annex the West Bank and expand Jewish settlements there. In accepting the offer, Friedman said he was “deeply honored and humbled” by the decision and then added that he looked forward to working in the “U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem”—hinting that Trump would relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv, a provocative move that would exacerbate tensions with Palestine and the Muslim world. The nomination of Friedman was condemned as “reckless” by J Street, a liberal Israel advocacy group. The nomination puts “America’s reputation in the region and credibility in the world at risk,” the group said in a statement. “Senators should know that the majority of Jewish Americans oppose the views and values this nominee represents.”