Posted on 02/16/2017 8:23:58 AM PST by Eleutheria5
Five former US ambassadors to Israel claimed Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s choice for the position is unqualified, and they are urging senators to carefully consider the nomination.
In a letter sent to members of the Foreign Relations Committee, the former diplomats said David Friedman has staked out “extreme, radical positions” and has derided the two-state solution as an “illusory” fix for a non-existent problem.
“We believe the committee should satisfy itself that Mr. Friedman has the balance and the temperament required to represent the United States as ambassador to Israel,” they wrote.
The committee is scheduled to meet Thursday for Friedman’s confirmation hearing.
The ambassadors, who served Republican and Democratic presidents, say Friedman accused President Barack Obama and the entire State Department of anti-Semitism. They say he’s also characterized supporters of J Street, an extreme left-wing Jewish group, as “kapos,” the Jews who cooperated with Nazis during the Holocaust.
The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the letter from the former ambassadors.
The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Friedman is a fervent supporter of Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, an opponent of Palestinian statehood and staunch defender of Israel’s government.
The former envoys wrote that Friedman has said he does not believe it would be illegal for Israel to annex Judea and Samaria and that he has been active in supporting Israel’s presence there.
“The American ambassador must be dedicated to advancing our country’s longstanding bipartisan goals in the region: strengthening the security of the United States and our ally Israel, and advancing the prospects for peace between Israel and its neighbors, in particular the Palestinians,” the letter stated. “If Israel is to carry on as a democratic, Jewish nation, respected internationally, we see no alternative to a two-state solution.”
.....
If you do not respect yourself, nobody else will respect you. Israel is not respected internationally, and until January 20 of this, was not respected in the White House, either.
"... we see no alternative to a two-state solution.”
And your failure of vision is something of which you boast?! Friedman looks better by the second.
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot.
... because those prior five have done so WELL?
These five ambassadors have had nothing but failure.
So, they feel qualified to make sure that there is nothing but failure in the future.
Friedman does indeed look better and better.
What makes those five former envoys qualified and Friedman not?
What qualification’s did Caroline Kennedy have to be ambassador to anywhere?
Source?
you says those five were so well qualified or proved successful in their handling of the duties of ambassadors to comment on this man’s qualification. Just STFU and go play golf with Obama.
Which has always led to problems when the United States attempts to force solutions on other actors in a dispute.
Obviously then, an excellent choice!!
I would love to see President Trump cut $1.6T annually (not just over ten years) from the federal budget. We need to spend less - a lot less - as we see from all the residual bloat left over after decades of Big Government. It is time to drain that swamp and dam the river of money that feeds it.
Another reason to trust President Trump. He has a strong attraction to truth.
MAGA: Make Ariel Great Again
Bah!
The only thing that would disqualify an ambassasor is an injury that prevents him from handing out bribes or collecting bribes.
Well, an inability to drink would be serious.
Yeah, he should have nominated Caroline Kennedy.
Sheesh...
“Unqualified ambassador” ROTFLMAO
Sounds about right.
They say he’s also characterized supporters of J Street, an extreme left-wing Jewish group, as “kapos,” the Jews who cooperated with Nazis during the Holocaust.
Harsh, but not all that far off the mark.
“If Israel is to carry on as a democratic, Jewish nation, respected internationally, we see no alternative to a two-state solution.”
That’s a laugh. The international community including the Obama era (I love that phrase) have no respect for Israel.
Trump should not have interim anything. He should promise to run cabinet posts himself until his cabinet picks get through the senate.
“The American ambassador must be dedicated to advancing our country’s longstanding bipartisan goals in the region:”
And just what are those “long-standing, bipartisan goals?” Seems to me we’ve pissed away 70 years on something that is “illusory” as Trump’s nominee has stated. Israel is a democratic country, while “The Palestinians” are just the “effluent of the Middle East.” It’s long past time to force the rest of the “Arab World” to absorb this crap and let Israel get on with building it’s country without the impediments and the killing that the Palestinians bring with them.
I hear Caroline Kennedy is free. (sarc)
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