Trump’s US ambassador to Israel nominee gets mixed reviews from Jews
News from Jewish Telegraphic Agency
President Trump has nominated his longtime lawyer, David Freidman, as the US ambassador to Israel. The Senate confirmed Freidman last week, as this nominee has created mixed feelings between various Jewish groups across the nation.
Liberal Jewish groups oppose because they say Freidman supports the continuation of settlements in Israel. Their other reason for opposition to Freidman’s nomination is because he is skeptical about a two-state solution which is a very large issue in Israel. The groups that publicly were uneasy about Freidman’s confirmation include J Street, which is a “nonprofit liberal advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab–Israeli and Israel–Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically” (Jstreet.com); and the Union for Reform Judaism.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Zionist Organization of America congratulated the nomination.
The Zionist Organization of America released this statement:
“This is a great day for America, Israel, the Jewish people and Amb. David Friedman. He will be the most pro-Israel pro-America Ambassador to Israel in history.” (Source: JTA)
It is interesting to see how President Trump has created divides within the Jewish communities since he has been in office. There has been some political differences between Jews in the past, but it seems like Trump in office has brought out more distinct divides among this minority group.
