“Nobody accuses the United States of being an apartheid state,” the former U.S. ambassador to Israel told the Knesset.
(July 24, 2024 / JNS) After the U.S. presidential election in November, Israel should claim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and offer local autonomy but not voting rights to Palestinians, David Friedman, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said at the Knesset on Tuesday.
Friedman’s remarks came a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress, and about four years after former President Donald Trump approved the Jewish state’s annexation of some 30% of the disputed territory.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a person of faith or an atheist, this is the best outcome for regional stability, for Israel and all its neighbors,” Friedman said in a keynote address at the Knesset’s Israel Victory Caucus.