Commemorating the one-year anniversary of the US moving their embassy to
Jerusalem, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman declared that “Israel is on the side of God,” calling that a “secret weapon that not too many countries have.”
This sort of declaration is not unheard of among some varieties of
Christianity within the United States. It has not, however, ever been a
stated aspect of US policy, and Friedman’s comments suggest it is part
of what is driving US policy toward Israel in general, including the
embassy relocation.
PLO officials view this declaration as an extremely negative sign for
already struggling US-Palestinian ties. PLO negotiator Hanan Ashrawi
asked where placing Israel on the “side of God” leaves the rest of the
world, while former chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said that what Friedman
was effectively telling Palestinians, both Christians and Muslims is
that “they’re enemies of God” He added that this had never been the US
position before.
Clearly the US position is changing. Former US Ambassador to Israel
Daniel Kurtzer said that the comments were “extremely inappropriate” for
an ambassador of the United States government to make.
US Ambassador: Israel Is On the Side of God
PLO officials see comment as negative for US ties
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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