Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has called for the US to fund the Israeli annexation of the West Bank in a book that was released on Tuesday, which is titled One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
Friedman, who was ambassador from 2017 to 2021, wrote in the book that Israel needs financial assistance “to assert and maintain its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” using the biblical name for the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
He suggested the next Republican administration could work with Congress to redirect $1 billion meant to provide aid to Palestinians. “The easiest bucket to tap into and reposition is that of the United States,” he wrote.
Friedman said the US should support the Israeli annexation of the West Bank “based first and foremost on biblical prophecies and values.” He told Forward that he hopes to share his annexation plan with former President Trump at “an appropriate time.”
While he was in office, Trump unveiled a so-called “peace plan” that would have seen Israel annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, a long, narrow valley along the West Bank’s border with Jordan. The proposal was dead on arrival since it was a non-starter for the Palestinians.
Miriam Adelson, the wife of the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has reportedly pledged $100 million to spend on Trump’s 2024 campaign, and she is expected to press him to support the Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Friedman’s book was released one week after Israel launched its largest attack on the West Bank since 2002. Israeli officials say the operation will escalate and that the territory is being treated as the second most critical front, immediately after Gaza.
