Trump’s Israel envoy nominee likely to earn Democrat support
NJ senator Bob Menendez says he is ‘inclined’ to back David Friedman as ambassador
A top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Thursday that he is considering supporting US President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as ambassador to Israel, despite controversies surrounding his support for West Bank settlements.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez said that he is likely to approve the appointment of David Friedman after going over his confirmation hearing.
“I’m inclined to be supportive,” he told The Weekly Standard. “I’m reviewing his answers to questions for the record, and when I finish all of that I will make a final decision.”
The Senate foreign relations panel will soon schedule a vote on whether to allow the nomination to head to the Senate floor. If Friedman clears the committee, he will need a simple majority vote in the full chamber to be confirmed.
Given the current makeup of the Senate — in which Republicans have a 52-48 majority — there would need to be at least three Republican defections to block the nomination, plus all Democrats opposing the bid.
During the confirmation hearing, Menendez questioned Friedman on his loyalty to the US, saying his “love” for Israel had “overwhelmed” his language.
Liberal Jewish groups, past US ambassadors and some Democratic lawmakers have spoken forcefully against the nomination of Friedman, who has been a vocal supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and caused an uproar by saying supporters of the dovish Mideast policy group J Street were “far worse than kapos,” referring to Jews who aided Nazis during the Holocaust.
Friedman was heckled during a stormy confirmation hearing last month, in which he walked back some of his previous statements and expressed support for a two-state solution. The nominee apologized for his “kapo” statement, though the Israel director of J Street has rejected the apology as insincere.
Friedman said a two-state solution still represented the “most ideal” resolution to the conflict.
“It still remains the best possibility of peace in the region,” he said.
“I would be delighted to see peace come to this region where people have suffered on both sides for so long,” Friedman elaborated. “I have expressed my skepticism about the two-state solution solely on the basis of what I have perceived as unwillingness to renounce terror and accept Israel as a Jewish state.”
The Times of Israel Community.