Donald Trump will nominate bankruptcy attorney David Friedman as US ambassador to Israel.
Washington:
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate bankruptcy attorney David Friedman as US ambassador to Israel and Friedman said he looked forward to taking up his post in Jerusalem, a step that would reverse decades of US foreign policy and spark rancour in the Muslim world.
The US embassy has been located in Tel Aviv for more than 68 years. Trump had pledged during the presidential campaign to move it to Jerusalem, a move almost certain to provoke objections from Muslims around the world.
"(Friedman) has been a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me. His strong relationships in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our allies and strive for peace in the Middle East," Trump said in a statement issued by his team.
The Republican made clear during his campaign that he would support Israel in a number of critical areas, including moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel's capital over international objections. He also pledged to not put pressure on Israel to engage in talks with the Palestinians.
The United States and other powers do not regard Jerusalem as Israel's capital - in addition to the US embassy, other nations' embassies are in Tel Aviv - and do not recognize Israel's annexation of Arab East Jerusalem following its capture in the 1967 Middle East war.
One of the thorniest issues is resolving the rival Israeli and Palestinian demands for Jerusalem's future. Palestinians regard the ancient city - which contains sites sacred to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths - as the future capital of a separate state.
Friedman, who specializes in litigation and bankruptcy law, said in the statement that he would work tirelessly to "strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the US embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a fractious relationship with Democratic President Barack Obama, has welcomed Trump's election, chatting with him by phone and posting a video on Facebook promoting the ties between the two countries.
In an interview with Israeli left-leaning newspaper Haaretz, in June, Friedman was asked whether Trump would support the creation of an independent Palestinian state - a bedrock of US foreign policy which supports a two-state solution.
"The answer is - not without the approval of the Israelis," said Friedman. "If the Israelis don't want to do it, so he doesn't think they should do it. ... He does not think it is an American imperative for it to be an independent Palestinian state."
There was no immediate comment from the Israel embassy in Washington on the news.
Advocate Of Settlement Building
Friedman is also considered far-right on issues, including settlement building and has advocated for the annexation of the West Bank, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war.
The Obama administration has been highly critical of Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most countries view all Israeli settlements on occupied land that the Palestinians seek for their own state as illegal.
The Palestinians, who want to establish a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, say settlements are a fundamental obstacle to peace. The last US-backed talks on statehood collapsed in 2014.
J Street, a small, liberal pro-Israel group based in Washington, said it was "vehemently opposed" to Friedman's nomination.
"As someone who has been a leading American friend of the settlement movement, who lacks any diplomatic or policy credentials ... Friedman should be beyond the pale for Senators considering who should represent the United States in Israel," it said in a statement.
"This nomination is reckless, putting America's reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk," the statement said.
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Republican and Democratic administrations, said Friedman's nomination "was designed to send a signal that there will be significant break in tone, style and perhaps substance from the Obama administration" in its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
"The peace process is just dead right now," Miller said, alluding to the Obama administration's failed efforts. But he said it was too early to see Friedman's nomination as Trump's disavowal of a two-state solution.
Miller noted that Trump's aides have sent conflicting signals on whether they are serious about acting quickly on his promise to move the embassy, and that it was not clear whether that would happen.
Presidential candidates have in the past promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and then reneged, deciding ultimately that the city's status should first be resolved by the parties to the conflict.
In early December, Obama renewed the presidential waiver, signed by every US president for the past two decades, against moving America's embassy to Jerusalem for another six months. It effectively means any action by Trump would be delayed until at least June.
(Additional reporting by Eric Beech and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Jonathan Oatis)
The US embassy has been located in Tel Aviv for more than 68 years. Trump had pledged during the presidential campaign to move it to Jerusalem, a move almost certain to provoke objections from Muslims around the world.
"(Friedman) has been a long-time friend and trusted advisor to me. His strong relationships in Israel will form the foundation of his diplomatic mission and be a tremendous asset to our country as we strengthen the ties with our allies and strive for peace in the Middle East," Trump said in a statement issued by his team.
The Republican made clear during his campaign that he would support Israel in a number of critical areas, including moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel's capital over international objections. He also pledged to not put pressure on Israel to engage in talks with the Palestinians.
The United States and other powers do not regard Jerusalem as Israel's capital - in addition to the US embassy, other nations' embassies are in Tel Aviv - and do not recognize Israel's annexation of Arab East Jerusalem following its capture in the 1967 Middle East war.
One of the thorniest issues is resolving the rival Israeli and Palestinian demands for Jerusalem's future. Palestinians regard the ancient city - which contains sites sacred to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths - as the future capital of a separate state.
Friedman, who specializes in litigation and bankruptcy law, said in the statement that he would work tirelessly to "strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the US embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a fractious relationship with Democratic President Barack Obama, has welcomed Trump's election, chatting with him by phone and posting a video on Facebook promoting the ties between the two countries.
In an interview with Israeli left-leaning newspaper Haaretz, in June, Friedman was asked whether Trump would support the creation of an independent Palestinian state - a bedrock of US foreign policy which supports a two-state solution.
"The answer is - not without the approval of the Israelis," said Friedman. "If the Israelis don't want to do it, so he doesn't think they should do it. ... He does not think it is an American imperative for it to be an independent Palestinian state."
There was no immediate comment from the Israel embassy in Washington on the news.
Advocate Of Settlement Building
Friedman is also considered far-right on issues, including settlement building and has advocated for the annexation of the West Bank, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war.
The Obama administration has been highly critical of Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most countries view all Israeli settlements on occupied land that the Palestinians seek for their own state as illegal.
The Palestinians, who want to establish a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, say settlements are a fundamental obstacle to peace. The last US-backed talks on statehood collapsed in 2014.
J Street, a small, liberal pro-Israel group based in Washington, said it was "vehemently opposed" to Friedman's nomination.
"As someone who has been a leading American friend of the settlement movement, who lacks any diplomatic or policy credentials ... Friedman should be beyond the pale for Senators considering who should represent the United States in Israel," it said in a statement.
"This nomination is reckless, putting America's reputation in the region and credibility around the world at risk," the statement said.
Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to Republican and Democratic administrations, said Friedman's nomination "was designed to send a signal that there will be significant break in tone, style and perhaps substance from the Obama administration" in its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
"The peace process is just dead right now," Miller said, alluding to the Obama administration's failed efforts. But he said it was too early to see Friedman's nomination as Trump's disavowal of a two-state solution.
Miller noted that Trump's aides have sent conflicting signals on whether they are serious about acting quickly on his promise to move the embassy, and that it was not clear whether that would happen.
Presidential candidates have in the past promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and then reneged, deciding ultimately that the city's status should first be resolved by the parties to the conflict.
In early December, Obama renewed the presidential waiver, signed by every US president for the past two decades, against moving America's embassy to Jerusalem for another six months. It effectively means any action by Trump would be delayed until at least June.
(Additional reporting by Eric Beech and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Jonathan Oatis)
© Thomson Reuters 2016
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