Unprecedented Opposition as Senate Votes to Approve David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel

Following the vote to approve David Friedman as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jewish Voice for Peace issued this statement from government affairs manager Rabbi Joseph Berman:

"We applaud those senators who voted against President Trump's appointment of David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel. The unprecedented opposition to Friedman is a sign of both his unfitness for the office and of growing opposition to settlements and Israeli policies that deny Palestinians full equal rights. David Friedman has demonstrated his dedication to advancing Israel's illegal settlement enterprise, and used hateful and hurtful speech towards Palestinians and Muslims as well as Jewish critics of Israel's occupation. Friedman's statements and positions should have disqualified him from this appointment.

The vote to approve David Friedman's nomination passed along nearly party lines, a sign of the growing partisan divide over support for Israel. According to a Pew Research Center Poll from January 2017, the divide between Democrats and Republicans over support for Israel is wider than it has been in decades. After nearly 50 years of military occupation and decades more of displacement and discrimination against Palestinians, support for Palestinian rights is growing. This broad opposition to Friedman's nomination is a testament to the efforts of grassroots activists around the country. Constituents are working to hold their elected officials accountable to resisting Trump's agenda and to a vision of equal rights and justice for all people both in the Middle East and in the United States."