Ambassador-nominee David Friedman, In His Own Words

Published December 19, 2016 (Updated January 25, 2017)

Much has been written about the views of David Friedman, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee as the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel. We have compiled this collection of quotes from his articles and speeches, so people can better understand and judge Mr. Friedman, based entirely on his own words (downloadable pdf of this document is available here).

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APN explainer 2/15: Top 5 Questionable Claims Senators Are Likely to Hear From U.S. Ambassador to Israel-nominee David Friedman At His Confirmation Hearing

APN's Lara Friedman in The Hill newspaper 1/26: David Friedman is the wrong choice for US ambassador to Israel

Ambassador-nominee David Friedman, In His Own Words [compilation of quotes with links to original sources]

Yossi Alpher weighs in, in his Hard Questions, Tough Answers: US-Israel in the Trump era: Ambassador Friedman and a US embassy in Jerusalem

APN Press release: APN Opposes David Friedman's Nomination as US Ambassador to Israel

Haaretz 2/7: 10 Questions U.S. Senators Should Ask David Friedman, Trump's Pick for Israel Envoy 

To facilitate the confirmation process, Haaretz has prepared a list of 10 questions those participating in the confirmation hearings might consider asking Friedman:

1. You serve as president of an organization that fundraises for the settlement of Beit El. How much of your own money have you donated over the years to Beit El and does your personal investment in the settlement movement explain your opposition to a two-state solution?

2. It has been reported that you own at least one apartment in Jerusalem. Is that the only real estate you own in Israel, and if not, could you provide us with a list of all your properties in the country and tell us if you own any real estate over the Green Line?

3. Do you have any children who live in Israel, and if so, have any of them served or intend to serve in the Israeli army? If the answer is yes, are you not in conflict of interest as a representative of the U.S. government?

4. Have you ever contributed to the campaigns of Israeli political leaders or political parties? If so, could you specify which leaders and which parties and how much you gave them?

5. Do you believe it is important for Israel to remain a Jewish and democratic state?

6. Do you favor Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, and if so, do you believe that Israel can remain a Jewish and democratic state if that happens?

7. As a real estate lawyer, how do you view the new Israeli law that legalizes the expropriation of Palestinian land in the West Bank?

8. President Donald Trump has said that making peace between Israelis and Palestinians is a top priority for him and has even referred to this as “the ultimate deal.” What would be your basic principles for such a deal?

9. Palestinians have voiced serious concerns that with your views, you cannot serve as an honest broker in any future peace talks. How do you hope to reassure them otherwise, if at all?

10. Your use of terms like “kapos” and “morons” to berate respected Jewish organizations has raised serious questions about your suitability for a diplomatic role. Do you truly believe you are cut out to serve as an ambassador?

 

 

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News Nosh 12.20.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday December 20, 2016  
 
Quote of the day:
“The outline that the Government of Israel invented is based on a crime. They are transferring the people of Amona, who squatted on private property, to private property of other Palestinians."
--Adv. Michael Sfard of Yesh Din, legal rights organization.*
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News Nosh 12.21.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday December 21, 2016
 
You Must Be Kidding #1: 
“I understand what it is to lose a home. After the 1999 elections, without any warning, my family and I were driven out of the [Prime Minister's Residence], just thrown on the street. We had to go to the Sheraton Plaza. It's a terrible feeling."
--Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to show empathy towards Amona residents (who anyway are getting 1 million shekels per family to move off other people's land), according to a Yedioth report.*
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Peace Parsha: If Not News, Then What?

Peace_Parsha_LogoRabbi Jonah Rank is the Maskil ("Teacher of tradition") at Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rabbi Rank was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2015.

When the humorist Dave Barry released his book Dave Barry’s Bad Habits: A 100% Fact-Free Book in 1987, he might not have foreseen that, just three decades later, the United States would have become such a major player in promoting fact-free political discourse. The low bar of entry that permits most Americans access to the internet and the only slightly higher bar that permits most Americans to create web content of any kind have helped bring us to where we are today. When reading articles shared on digital media, if the facts don’t sound like the facts we’ve previously heard, we might ask if this news is real or not: Was it perhaps created from a fake-news website? Is this article actually based on found facts? Is this publication the eloquence of a gullible writer mistaking The Onion for news? Is this piece of journalism simply a collection of conspiracy theories all rooted in a series of truth-contorting tweets?

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News Nosh 12.22.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday December 22, 2016  

You Must Be Kidding: 
"It is permitted to speak Arabic without fear."
--Israel’s Second (Broadcasting) Authority said that that sentence, said by Mira Awad, an Israeli Arab singer and actress, in a TV ad for civil rights was problematic. The Authority prevented the ad from being aired.**
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APN Update - Are you kidding, Ambassador Friedman?! Try PeaceCast, and Please remember us!

Americans for Peace Now
Americans for Peace Now: December 22, 2016


"I understand what it is to lose a home. After the 1999 elections, without any warning, my family and I were driven out of the [Prime Minister's Residence], just thrown on the street. We had to go to the Sheraton Plaza. It's a terrible feeling."

Prime Minister Netanyahu, to illegal outpost residents of Amona who are getting 1 million shekels per family to move off other people's land.


Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher

 

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

December 19, 2016 - US-Israel in the Trump era: Ambassador Friedman and a US embassy in Jerusalem

Q. President-elect Trump has selected David Friedman to be US ambassador to Israel. Friedman and the Trump team assert that the US embassy will soon be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Friedman actively supports the settlements, rejects the two-state solution, and calls J-Street “worse than capos”. A game-changer from hell?

A. Potentially more than one game-changer...

Q. Start with the Friedman appointment.

A. It is sad to note that this is actually the most “lite” of the three issues...

Q. And if the embassy is really moved to Jerusalem and this president makes good on a promise nearly all presidential candidates have made but not kept for decades?

A. ...It is the Arab and broader Muslim worlds that will react angrily and probably violently...

Q. So what should Trump be doing about the embassy?

A. ...Considering how often and unashamedly he zigzags, Trump should have no difficulty in wiggling out of this disastrous commitment.

Q. How do the ambassadorial appointment and the Jerusalem embassy issues factor into the existing divides and conflicts within world Jewry?

A. These two issues are likely to exacerbate the divide in Israel... In America, the Israel-related hawk-dove divide is likely to grow...

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Government Relations

APN Legislative Round-Up: December 8-16, 2016

  1. Bills and Resolutions
  2. AIPAC Touts Accomplishments in 114th Congress
  3. On the Record

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If Not News, Then What? by Rabbi Jonah Rank

Rabbi Rank relates the proliferation of "fake news" to the current Torah portion (Parsha), and how Jewish tradition urges us to speculate not on the origins of evils but the path forward to peace.

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Thank you for your support of APN

The donations APN receives by the end of 2016 will make it possible to take on the challenges ahead in 2017. As seen below, APN is already out front in our actions dealing with President-elect Trump, as well as producing exciting new initiatives like PeaceCast, and as an essential funder of Peace Now, APN's intrepid partner in Israel.

Donations can be made ONLINE, via MAIL (APN, 2100 M Street NW, Suite 619, Washington, DC 20037), and through SALE OF STOCK.

(NOTE: Contribution from IRA's are tax free if you are over 70-1/2).


Action Alert

Tell Your Senators: Reject Trump's Dangerous Choice for Ambassador to Israel

David Friedman is a friend of the settlement movement who backs unlimited settlement expansion, has accused President Obama of being an anti-Semite, and says that liberal Zionists are "worse than kapos." Tell your Senators to reject his nomination to be the next US ambassador to Israel.

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Ambassador-nominee David Friedman, In His Own Words

See a compilation of quotes from articles and speeches by David Friedman so you can better understand and judge his views, based entirely on his own words.

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APN Audio

APN launches PeaceCast!

PeaceCast is a podcast produced in Washington by APN, exploring issues and trends relating to peace and security for Israel, focusing on Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and efforts to resolve it. Episodes feature experts, activists, advocates and scholars whose work or passion is Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Go HERE to listen to the premiere episode featuring Elias Zananiri and Talia Sasson, and subscribe to PeaceCast through the podcast app on your smartphone.

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Briefing Call

LISTEN to APN's Briefing Call with Senator George Mitchell and Alon Sachar

The authors of A Path to Peace: A Brief History of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and a Way Forward in the Middle East, discussed their findings, including the imperative of a two-state solution.

LISTEN >


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YNET: "More and more land, less of a state" by Nahum Barnea

The settlement in the territories is the most significant, influential enterprise established in Israel in the past 50 years. On the way, it crushes the foundations of statehood laid by the founding generation.

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We Wish You Light

Chanukiah

At this time of year, both Christians and Jews celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. This year, Christmas and Hanukkah overlap. We celebrate the light, count our blessings, and wish each other a happy new year.

This time of year also features commitment and resolution. In Hebrew, the word hanukkah means dedication or rededication.

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Press Release: APN to Obama: Support or Abstain on UNSC Resolution Re: West Bank Settlements

Americans for Peace Now (APN) urges the Obama administration to support or abstain on today's UN Security Council resolution in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace and the two-state solution.

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