Trump's pick for Israel ambassador faces rocky confirmation
Source: Associated Press
Trump's pick for Israel ambassador faces rocky confirmation
By RICHARD LARDNER
Feb. 16, 2017 3:05 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) David Friedman, the firebrand attorney President Donald Trump picked to be his ambassador to Israel, faces a rocky confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after Trump signaled a dramatic shift in strategy for pursuing peace in the Middle East.
Friedman's hearing, scheduled for Thursday, already promised to be contentious. The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Friedman is a fervent supporter of Israeli settlements, an opponent of Palestinian statehood and staunch defender of Israel's government.
Five former U.S. ambassadors to Israel have declared Friedman unqualified for job, citing his "extreme, radical positions" that include accusing former President Barack Obama and the entire State Department of anti-Semitism.
The ambassadors, who served Republican and Democratic presidents, also said in a letter sent Wednesday to committee members that Friedman characterized supporters of J Street, a liberal Jewish group, as "kapos," the Jews who cooperated with Nazis during the Holocaust.
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