Envoy’s remarks backing settlements do ‘not indicate a shift in US policy’
State Department spokesman says David Friedman's comments don't change America's position on West Bank outposts
Israel Ambassador David Friedman’s comments on the West Bank and Israeli settlements do not indicate a change in U.S. policy, a State Department spokeswoman has said.
Friedman told the Israeli news site Walla that Israel was occupying only two percent of the West Bank, that the two-state solution “had lost its meaning” and that settlements are part of Israel. The statements depart from longstanding U.S. policy.
The U.S. has opposed settlement building, supported the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel and brokered the 1993 Oslo Accords, under which Israel fully controls 60 percent of the West Bank. Settlement leaders say the physical footprint of settlements amounts to two percent of the territory’s land area.
President Donald Trump has distanced himself from the policy of previous administrations and has yet to call for a Palestinian state. But on Friday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert distanced the U.S. from Friedman’s comments.
“His comments – and I want to be crystal clear about this – should not be read as a way to prejudge the outcome of any negotiations that the U.S. would have with the Israelis and the Palestinians,” she said regarding Friedman. “It should also not indicate a shift in U.S. policy.”
When she was asked to clarify how much of the West Bank is occupied, Nauert said, “I don’t know that we have a map of that,” though countless maps of the territory are available.
Nauert said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a priority for the Trump administration on par with the North Korean nuclear threat. She also reiterated the U.S. opposition to Interpol adding the State of Palestine as a member.
“The president has made that one of his top priorities,” she said. “And when we talk about top priorities here, we talk about the nuclear and ballistic missile threat of North Korea, but we also talk about this.”
Oded Revivi, the chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council advocating for settlers, lauded Friedman “for using facts to describe the reality in Judea and Samaria.”
“For decades,” he said, “the international community has been eating up Palestinian propaganda without checking the reality on the ground.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
