President Trump’s pick for his third National Security Advisor, John Bolton, is dangerous for American national security and potentially disastrous for the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace. We urge our supporters, and indeed all Americans, to condemn this choice.

Bolton is an outright opponent of a two-state solution. He claims that the “only logic” behind a push for a Palestinian state is “the political imperative of Israel’s opponents to weaken and encircle the Jewish state.” Further, he accuses two-state proponents of “using the Palestinian people as the tip of the spear against Israel.” Bolton’s preferred solution for stateless Palestinians is to incorporate Gaza into Egypt and extend Jordanian sovereignty over the West Bank – a move unacceptable to Palestinians, as well as to Egypt and Jordan.

Given his opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, it follows that Bolton rejects “Jerusalem’s status as the purported capital of ‘Palestine.’” And unsurprisingly, Bolton advocated a one-sided recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy there before Trump announced this as official US policy. While Trump has slashed US funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Bolton calls for abolishing the agency altogether.

John Bolton’s views on Israel and the Palestinians provide reason enough to oppose him. But together with many American foreign policy experts, APN sounds the alarm over the possibility that Bolton will turn his belligerent statements on Iran and North Korea into a push for military actions. Bolton advocated bombing Iran and urged Israel to do so when the US, under President Obama, would not. While American diplomats and many among Israel’s top military and intelligence brass know the Iran nuclear deal is making the world safer, Bolton advocates killing it. And less than a month ago, Bolton wrote that it is “perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current ‘necessity’ posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons by striking first.”

The litany of reasons Bolton is unfit for public service also includes his close relationship with anti-Muslim hate groups and prominent Islamophobes like Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.

President and CEO of Americans for Peace Now Debra DeLee said, “We are hard put to conjure up a worse choice for top personal advisor to the President than John Bolton. While Trump’s stance on the two-state solution – embraced by consecutive Democratic and Republican presidents as official US policy – has been indecisive, Bolton is a staunch opponent of a deal that would ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish state and a liberal democracy, living in peace and security with an independent Palestinian state.

“It is almost exactly 15 years after the US began its disastrous war in Iraq. John Bolton was one of the most vocal proponents of that war, and amazingly, he continues to defend it. He threatens to drag us into two even more horrific wars of choice against Iran and North Korea. Since National Security Advisors do not require Senate confirmation, there is unfortunately no way to block John Bolton from assuming this key position. Fortunately, the Senate can prevent Trump from assembling a War Cabinet by rejecting Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State. We will redouble our efforts toward that end – and we call on all Americans to join us.”

If you oppose John Bolton: TAKE ACTION NOW to demand that your senators vote against Mike Pompeo's confirmation.

Go HERE to see the letter jointly from APN, Ameinu, J Street, New Israel Fund, National Council of Jewish Women, and T’ruah condemning the dangerous appointment of John Bolton.