Trump nominates David Friedman of Woodmere as ambassador to Israel

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating a top Jewish surrogate, David Friedman of Woodmere, to be ambassador to Israel. In a statement, Trump said that Friedman will serve from Jerusalem and describing the city as “Israel’s eternal capital.”

Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer who has for years worked for Trump and his real estate development business, davens at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. He's been one of Trump's main emissaries to the Jewish community, along with Jason Greenblatt, another Trump lawyer, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

Friedman this week briefed the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on what to expect from a Trump presidency. The Trump transition team’s statement said Friedman — who like the incumbent ambassador, Dan Shapiro, speaks Hebrew — intends “to work tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”

Congress recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 1995 and mandated the move of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but successive presidents have exercised a waiver in the law, citing national security interests.

U.S. security officials believe that moving the embassy to Jerusalem, a city holy to Christians and Muslims as well as Jews and claimed by the Palestinians as their capital, would precipitate anti-American violence in the region and beyond. In what has become a feature of transition statements, the release included a dig at the outgoing Obama administration. “The bond between Israel and the United States runs deep, and I will ensure there is no daylight between us when I’m President,” Trump said in the statement.

“As the United States’ Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman will maintain the special relationship between our two countries.” President Barack Obama increased U.S.-Israel defense and intelligence sharing, but challenged the practice of his two immediate predecessors – Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – of keeping diplomatic agreements behind closed doors. Early in his administration, Obama told Jewish leaders the policy of “no daylight” had not advanced peace in the region.

Last month, The Jewish Star published speculation that Friedman might be appointed amgassador to Israel in a roundup by JTA of prominent Jews who had the candidate's ear. That reported stated:

Woodmere’s Friedman, 57, is one of two Jewish lawyers whom Trump has said he would appoint as his Israel advisers. There has been speculation that Friedman is being considered for service as U.S. ambassdor to Israel. A bankruptcy expert and partner at the Kasowitz law firm in Manhattan, Friedman is the president-elect’s longtime attorney. His family has a history of ties to Republican presidential candidates (it hosted President Reagan for a Shabbat lunch in 1984). Friedman has expressed doubt about the future of the two-state solution, a long-time pillar of bipartisan U.S. policy. Prior to the Republican Party passing a platform that omitted references to the two-state solution, he said it might be time for the party to reject the concept. “The two-state solution might be one answer, but I don’t think it’s the only answer anymore,” he said in July. Friedman has also said that annexing the West Bank would not damage Israel’s status as a Jewish state.