Trump nominee’s support for Israeli settlement draws scrutiny
David Friedman has played a key role in supporting Bet El near Ramallah.
US President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as envoy to Israel is coming under intense scrutiny for his ties to West Bank settlements as the White House and the Israeli government continue to clash over the issue.
David Friedman’s Feb. 16 nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee comes one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds his first official meeting with Trump.
Netanyahu is under pressure from his right flank to pronounce the death of the two-state solution. Meanwhile, Trump last week told an Israeli newspaper that he wants to revive the peace talks with the Palestinians and that settlement growth isn’t helpful.
Friedman is stepping into that diplomatic minefield with his own history of derogatory comments toward peace activists that have made him a prime target for left-leaning American Jews. Senate Democrats, however, are also busy poring over his financial disclosure form, which Al-Monitor is making public for the first time.
