David M. Friedman Explained

David M. Friedman
Office:United States Ambassador to Israel
President:Donald Trump
Term Start:May 15, 2017
Term End:January 20, 2021
Predecessor:Dan Shapiro
Successor:Thomas R. Nides
Party:Republican
Birth Name:David Melech Friedman
Birth Date:8 August 1958
Children:5

David Melech Friedman (born August 8, 1958) is an American bankruptcy lawyer and the former United States Ambassador to Israel. He joined the law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman (then known as Kasowitz, Hoff, Benson & Torres) in 1994, where he met and represented Donald Trump, then chairman and president of The Trump Organization.

He was an advisor to Trump during his successful presidential campaign. In December 2016, President-elect Trump's transition team announced that Friedman was Trump's nominee for ambassador. He was narrowly confirmed by the Senate, officially sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence on March 29 and presented his credentials on May 15.

Early life and education

Friedman was one of three children born to Morris S. Friedman (d. 2005),[1] a rabbi,[2] and Addi Friedman, a high school English teacher.[3] [4] He grew up in North Woodmere, New York.[5] His father was the rabbi of Temple Hillel, a Conservative synagogue in North Woodmere, and served as the head of the New York Board of Rabbis.[6]

He graduated from the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) high school in 1974, and earned his B.A. degree in anthropology from Columbia University, graduating in 1978,[7] and his J.D. degree from New York University School of Law, graduating in 1981.[1] [8] He has been a member of the New York State Bar Association since 1982.

Legal and philanthropic career

In 1994, he left the now-defunct law firm Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon to form the bankruptcy practice at Kasowitz, Hoff, Benson & Torres.[9] [10] Friedman was promoted to name partner in 1995, and the firm was renamed Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman.[11] As the head of the creditors' rights and bankruptcy practice group, Friedman advised and represented Donald Trump and The Trump Organization in bankruptcies involving his Atlantic City casinos.[12]

Friedman volunteered to head American Friends of Bet El Institutions,[13] an organization that advocates against a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and provides around $2 million (~$ in) per year to the Israeli settlement Bet El.[14] [15] The organization also received donations from the family foundation of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. In 1999, Friedman dedicated the Friedman Faculty House.[16] The settlement runs the Israeli news website Arutz Sheva, where Friedman was a columnist.[17] In his writings and statements, Friedman repeatedly argued in support of Israeli settlements, declaring them legal.[18] He has also contributed to United Hatzalah ("united rescue"), an Israeli organization that provides emergency medical services, and Aleh Negev, a village for disabled Bedouin and Jewish people in southern Israel.

Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign

Friedman advised Trump on Israel- and Jewish-related issues during his presidential campaign, co-chairing Trump's Israel Advisory Committee along with Jason D. Greenblatt, an executive vice president for The Trump Organization.[19] During the presidential election, he donated a total of $50,000 to the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. Four days prior to the election, Friedman and Greenblatt released a joint statement promising to move the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, one of Trump's campaign promises.[20] Other presidential candidates, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Hillary Clinton,[21] had also promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem during their campaigns.[22] Moving the embassy would be a significant departure from U.S. policy. Since the end of the Six-Day War in 1967, the U.S. officially maintained that Jerusalem's final status should be decided by direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians;[23] it did not recognize Jerusalem as Israeli territory. Relocation would be in accordance with the Jerusalem Embassy Act, passed by Congress in 1995, which required moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by May 31, 1999. The executive branch has consistently waived implementation of the act, arguing it would have a negative impact on national security.[24] On June 1, 2017, in accordance with his predecessors, President Trump signed an executive order keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv instead of relocating it to Jerusalem.[25] However, on December 6, 2017, President Trump reversed course and issued a "Presidential Proclamation Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel and Relocating the United States Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem."[26]

Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Israel

Reactions

On December 15, 2016, the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump announced that Friedman had been selected to be the nominee as the United States Ambassador to Israel.[27] [28] Friedman's nomination was controversial; some American Jewish, Israeli, and Palestinian individuals and advocacy groups argued against his nomination. Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, said that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and annexing West Bank settlements would lead to the "destruction of the peace process" and send the region down a path of "chaos, lawlessness, and extremism".[29] Friedman had said in an interview for Haaretz during the campaign that Trump would be open to Israel annexing parts of the West Bank.[30] The U.S. has opposed Israeli settlements in the West Bank since 1967.[31]

The liberal advocacy organization J Street "vehemently opposed" Friedman's nomination.[32] During the presidential campaign, Friedman had attacked J Street supporters, writing in Arutz Sheva in May 2016:

Are J Street supporters really as bad as kapos? The answer, actually, is no. They are far worse than kapos—Jews who turned in their fellow Jews in the Nazi death camps. The kapos faced extraordinary cruelty and who knows what any of us would have done under those circumstances to save a loved one? But J Street? They are just smug advocates of Israel's destruction delivered from the comfort of their secure American sofas—it's hard to imagine anyone worse.[33]

When asked about his comments on J Street at the Saban Forum in early December, Friedman had stood by his statements, saying that J Street supporters were "not Jewish, and they're not pro-Israel".[34] [35] The advocacy organizations Americans for Peace Now, Ameinu, the Israel Policy Forum, and the New Israel Fund also opposed the nomination.[36] Six Democratic members of the House of Representatives, including Jewish representatives Jan Schakowsky, Jerrold Nadler, John Yarmuth, and Steve Cohen, urged their colleagues in the Senate to vote against Friedman.[37] [38]

Five former United States Ambassadors to Israel – Thomas Pickering, William Harrop, Edward Walker Jr., Daniel Kurtzer, and James Cunningham – signed a letter declaring Friedman unqualified.[39]

Other Jewish and Israeli groups and individuals supported Friedman's nomination. Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy at the Orthodox Union, commended Trump for the nomination as a change in the relationship between Israel and the United States from the relationship under the Obama administration.[40] Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, said Friedman "has the potential to be the greatest US Ambassador to Israel ever". The Republican Jewish Coalition and Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, both supported the nomination. Israeli politicians Tzipi Hotovely, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dani Dayan, the Consul General of Israel in New York, and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett all praised Friedman and welcomed his nomination.[41] The Yesha Council, the umbrella organization governing West Bank settlements, also supported the nomination, saying Friedman had a "deep love for all of the land and people of Israel, including those in Judea and Samaria," referring to the Israeli-occupied West Bank as "Judea and Samaria".

Senate confirmation

Friedman's confirmation hearing was held on February 16, 2017.[42] The hearing was contentious; protesters from Americans Muslims for Palestine and the Jewish group IfNotNow were arrested after interrupting the proceedings several times.[43] [44] Friedman said he believed a two-state solution is the best way to resolve the conflict. He had previously questioned the need for it, stating as a representative for the Trump campaign, "a two-state solution is not a priority ... A two-state solution is a way, but it's not the only way."[31] [45] He had also called it a "scam" and a "damaging anachronism" in a February 2016 column for Arutz Sheva.[46] [47] He also agreed to sell off his business interests in the region and end his support for the expansion of Israeli settlements. He apologized for his past language towards J Street, maintaining his differences of opinion with the organization.[48] Yael Patir, the Israel director of J Street, did not accept the apology.[49]

Several Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee criticized Friedman's fitness for the position, while the Republican members generally expressed their support. On March 9, 2017, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his nomination in a 12–9 vote. All Republicans voted in favor, along with Democrat Bob Menendez from New Jersey.[50] Friedman was officially confirmed on March 23.[51] All Democratic and independent senators except Bob Menendez and Joe Manchin, from West Virginia, voted against him. 50 out of 52 Republican senators voted for him; two Republicans did not vote.[52] The Washington Post reported that this "sharply partisan vote was a notable departure from past votes to confirm ambassadors to Israel."[53]

On March 29, Vice President Mike Pence officially administered the oath of office, swearing in Friedman.[54] He succeeded Leslie Tsou, who served as the interim chargé d'affaires after Daniel Shapiro left the position on January 20.[55] [56]

Ambassadorship

Friedman became the U.S. ambassador to Israel on May 15, 2017, when he presented his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.[57] In 2019, The Jerusalem Post listed him as one of the world's 50 most influential Jews.[58]

The New York Times in January 2021 described Friedman "as one of America’s most influential envoys" and as someone "who drove the radical overhaul of White House policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."[59]

According to CNN, Friedman stated that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were not illegal and supported Israel to annex portions of the West Bank.[60]

For his work negotiating the Abraham Accords, Friedman was nominated alongside Jared Kushner for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination, submitted by Alan Dershowitz, also names Kushner's aide Avi Berkowitz, and Friedman's counterpart Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer.[61]

Post-Ambassador career

After his term of ambassadorship was completed, Friedman launched the Friedman Center for Peace through Strength which seeks to continue the inroads made by the Abraham Accords.[62] An opening event was held in 2021 at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem where the center is located.[63]

In 2022 Friedman released the memoir Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East. In it he describes his journey to becoming ambassador and how the Abraham Accords came about.[64] Bookscan sales indicated It sold more in its first week of release then any other Israel-related book in the past ten years according to vice president of the publisher Broadside books Eric Nelson.[65]

When Trump received Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022, Friedman tweeted: “Even a social visit from an antisemite like Kanye West and human scum like Nick Fuentes is unacceptable. I urge you to throw those bums out, disavow them and relegate them to the dustbin of history where they belong.”[66]

On 13 June 2023, Friedman endorsed Trump for President.[67]

Alongside Mike Pompeo, Friedman featured in the 2023 documentary Route 60: The Biblical Highway, directed by Matt Crouch.[68]

Personal life

Friedman is an Orthodox Jew and is fluent in Hebrew.[14] He has been married to his wife, Tammy Deborah Sand, since 1981. They have five children and seven grandchildren.[69] Friedman's daughter, Talia Friedman, immigrated to Israel and officially became an Israeli citizen on August 15, 2017.[70] In 1984, Friedman met President Ronald Reagan when Reagan visited Temple Hillel and became the first sitting president since George Washington to visit a synagogue.[71] [72] Friedman became friends with Donald Trump in 2005, after Trump paid him a condolence call during shiva for his father.

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: David Friedman, Choice for Envoy to Israel, Is Hostile to Two-State Efforts . Kershner . Isabel . Stolberg . Sheryl Gay . . December 16, 2016 . December 24, 2016.
  2. Web site: Paid Notice: FRIEDMAN, RABBI MORRIS S.. 25 February 2005. New York Times Archives.
  3. News: What Do We Know About David Friedman, Trump's Pick for Ambassador to Israel?. November 11, 2016. Haaretz. subscription . Maltz. Judy. December 16, 2016.
  4. Web site: 10 Things You Didn't Know About David Friedman. Galvin, Gaby. 20 March 2017. U.S. News & World Report.
  5. News: Tammy D. Sand Is Engaged To David Melech Friedman. January 4, 1981. The New York Times. December 24, 2016.
  6. News: Meet David Friedman, Bankruptcy Lawyer Turned Possible Israel Ambassador . Solomon . Daniel J. . . December 16, 2016 . December 24, 2016.
  7. Web site: US Ambassadors to Israel, 1988–2017. J Street. March 20, 2017.
  8. Web site: David M. Friedman. Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman. https://web.archive.org/web/20170308013124/http://www.kasowitz.com/david-m-friedman/. March 8, 2017. dead. March 21, 2017. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: President-Elect Donald J. Trump Nominates David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. GreatAgain.gov. December 16, 2016. December 15, 2016. September 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170905122159/https://greatagain.gov/president-elect-donald-j-trump-nominates-david-friedman-as-u-s-ambassador-to-israel-d563ae2e0034#.mexqcoqzq. dead.
  10. Amon. Elizabeth. August 2004. Fast Rise to the Top. The American Lawyer. March 18, 2017. New York City. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713135644/http://www.kasowitz.com/files/FastRise-NoWhitePage.pdf. July 13, 2011. dead. mdy-all.
  11. News: Profiles/Executive Moves. Feliciano. Carmen. May 1, 1995. Crain's New York Business. March 18, 2017.
  12. News: Trump picks a supporter of West Bank settlements for ambassador to Israel. DeYoung. Karen. December 15, 2016. The Washington Post. December 26, 2016.
  13. News: Inside the West Bank Settlement That Trump's Envoy David Friedman Loves Best. Zeveloff. Naomi. January 15, 2017. The Forward. May 6, 2017.
  14. News: Trump Taps David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. December 16, 2016. Haaretz. December 16, 2016.
  15. News: Fund Headed by Trump's Israel Ambassador Pumped Tens of Millions Into West Bank Settlement. Maltz. Judy. December 16, 2016. Haaretz. March 17, 2017. subscription .
  16. News: Building Dedicated by Trump's Israel Envoy Was Constructed Illegally on Palestinian Land. Maltz. Judy. February 15, 2017. Haaretz. May 6, 2017. subscription .
  17. News: David Friedman Does More Than Write for Far-Right News Site. Nathan-Kazis. Josh. December 19, 2016. The Forward. March 20, 2017.
  18. News: Trump's Pick for Israel Ambassador Is No Diplomat. Graham. David A.. December 16, 2016. The Atlantic. December 26, 2016.
  19. Web site: Joint Statement from Jason Dov Greenblatt and David Friedman, Co-Chairmen of the Israel Advisory Committee to Donald J. Trump . Greenblatt . Jason D. . Friedman . David . . November 2, 2016 . December 24, 2016.
  20. News: WATCH: Trump Promises to Move U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. January 20, 2016. Haaretz. March 17, 2017.
  21. Web site: Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. January 4, 2017. Haaretz. January 24, 2017.
  22. News: An Embassy in Jerusalem? Trump Promises, but So Did Predecessors. Baker. Peter. November 18, 2016. The New York Times. March 17, 2017.
  23. News: Trump's plan to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem could help the peace process. December 29, 2016. Elman. Miriam F.. The Washington Post. January 24, 2017.
  24. News: Will Trump move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem?. Hanna. Andrew. December 15, 2016. Politico. March 17, 2017. Saba. Yousef.
  25. News: Donald Trump Won't Move Embassy to Jerusalem, at Least for Now. Baker. Peter. The New York Times. June 1, 2017. July 24, 2017.
  26. Web site: Presidential Proclamation Recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel and Relocating the United States Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. National Archives. whitehouse.gov.
  27. Why Jerusalem Isn't Recognized as Israel's Capital. Samuelson. Kate. December 16, 2016. Time. March 17, 2017.
  28. News: Trump taps adviser Friedman to be US ambassador to Israel. December 16, 2016. The Times of Israel. Cortellessa. Eric. December 16, 2016.
  29. News: Erekat: Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem will 'destroy peace process'. December 16, 2016. The Times of Israel. December 26, 2016.
  30. News: David Friedman: Trump Would Support Israeli Annexation of Parts of West Bank. Ravid. Barak. June 23, 2016. Haaretz. subscription . December 26, 2016.
  31. News: An undiplomatic choice: Donald Trump picks a hardliner as ambassador to Israel. December 17, 2016. The Economist. V.V.B.. December 18, 2016.
  32. Web site: J Street Vehemently Opposes Nomination of David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel . . December 16, 2016 . December 26, 2016.
  33. News: Read Peter Beinart and you'll vote Donald Trump. https://web.archive.org/web/20160507125239/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/18828. dead. May 7, 2016. Friedman. David. May 6, 2016. Arutz Sheva. December 16, 2016.
  34. News: Trump Chooses Hard-Liner as Ambassador to Israel. Rosenberg. Matthew. December 15, 2016. The New York Times. December 16, 2016.
  35. Web site: Liberal Jewish groups rage against Trump's Israel ambassador pick. December 16, 2016. Cortellessa. Eric. The Times of Israel. December 17, 2016.
  36. News: Hawks hail Trump's nominee for ambassador to Israel, doves vow a fight . . December 16, 2016 . December 26, 2016.
  37. News: Chuck Schumer Not Taking Sides on David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel . Guttman . Nathan . . December 19, 2016 . December 26, 2016.
  38. News: Rep. Steve Cohen Rejects David Friedman — Says He's No 'Fiddler' . Guttman . Nathan . . December 20, 2016 . December 26, 2016.
  39. News: Trump's pick for Israel envoy goes on damage control. Lardner. Richard. February 16, 2017. Associated Press. May 8, 2017. en.
  40. Web site: Trump picks hard-line attorney as Israel envoy, angering Jewish left . Toosi . Nahal . . December 15, 2016 . December 29, 2016.
  41. News: Israel says there's never been a more right-wing U.S. ambassador than Trump's pick. Booth. William. December 16, 2016. The Washington Post. March 21, 2017. Eglash. Ruth.
  42. News: Senate grills US envoy to Israel pick after Trump scraps two-state policy. Gaouette. Nicole. February 16, 2017. CNN. March 17, 2017. Labott. Elise.
  43. News: Trump's Nominee for Israel Envoy Apologizes for 'Hurtful Words'. Huetteman. Emmarie. February 16, 2017. The New York Times. March 22, 2017.
  44. News: 6 Protesters Were Arrested. Only The 2 Arab Muslims Face Misdemeanor Charges.. Schulberg. Jessica. April 20, 2017. The Huffington Post. June 22, 2017. en-US.
  45. News: What a Trump presidency would mean for Israel. Cortellessa. Eric. November 6, 2016. The Times of Israel. December 26, 2016.
  46. News: End the two-state narrative. Friedman. David. October 2, 2016. Arutz Sheva. March 22, 2017.
  47. News: Trump's Middle East policy in chaos as UN ambassador says US 'absolutely' supports two-state solution. Sanchez. Raf. February 16, 2017. The Daily Telegraph. March 22, 2017.
  48. News: Trump's pick for Israel envoy goes on damage control. Lardner. Richard. February 16, 2017. Associated Press. March 22, 2017. March 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084049/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c03016227ab7429b81ed3fb3b0a1ff67/trumps-pick-israel-ambassador-faces-rocky-confirmation. dead.
  49. News: J Street Israel boss rejects David Friedman's remorse for 'kapos' remark. February 17, 2017. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. March 22, 2017.
  50. News: Trump's pick for Israeli ambassador clears key Senate panel. Demirjian. Karoun. March 9, 2017. The Washington Post. March 22, 2017.
  51. Web site: David. Rosenberg. March 23, 2017. It's final: David Friedman confirmed as Ambassador to Israel. Israel National News. August 27, 2017.
  52. Web site: On the Nomination (Confirmation David Friedman, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Israel). March 23, 2017. United States Senate. March 23, 2017.
  53. News: Senate confirms David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel, with little Democratic support. The Washington Post. Karoun. Demirjian. March 23, 2017. February 5, 2022.
  54. News: David Friedman, Staunch Supporter of the Settlements, Sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Tibon. Amir. March 30, 2017. Haaretz. March 29, 2017.
  55. Web site: Charge d'Affaires Leslie M. Tsou. U.S. Embassy in Israel. March 24, 2017.
  56. News: Outgoing U.S. Envoy Dan Shapiro to Stay in Israel After Trump Takes Office. Sommer. Allison Kaplan. January 7, 2017. Haaretz. March 24, 2017.
  57. News: David Friedman officially takes up post as Trump's Israel envoy . Ahren . Raphael . May 16, 2017 . . July 27, 2017.
  58. Web site: 50 Influencers 2019. www.jpost.com. 2019-10-02.
  59. Web site: Halbfinger . David M. . Strong Views and 'Close to the Boss': How U.S. Envoy Reshaped a Conflict . January 10, 2021 . . January 11, 2021.
  60. Web site: Jared Kushner's Middle East fantasy explodes. CNN. Peter. Bergen. May 21, 2021. February 5, 2022.
  61. News: February 1, 2021 . Kushner, Berkowitz, Friedman nominated for Nobel Peace Prize . 2023-10-18 . . en-US.
  62. News: October 11, 2021 . Ex-U.S. envoy Friedman sees Muslim tourism to Jerusalem as way to end conflict . en . . 2022-04-04.
  63. News: Ariel . Kahana . October 12, 2021 . Friedman Center for Peace Through Strength opens in Jerusalem . 2022-04-04 . Israel Hayom.
  64. Web site: 2022-04-03 . TJS S5 Interlude: Interview with Ambassador David Friedman . 2022-04-04 . The Jewish Story . en-US.
  65. News: David Friedman's book 'Sledgehammer' hits record sales in first week out . 2022-04-04 . . 17 February 2022 . en-US.
  66. News: Haberman . Maggie . Feuer . Alan . 2022-11-25 . Trump's Latest Dinner Guest: Nick Fuentes, White Supremacist . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-02-17 . 0362-4331.
  67. News: Magid . Jacob . Former US envoy to Israel David Friedman endorses former boss Trump for 2024 . 13 June 2023 . . 13 June 2023.
  68. News: Maayan . Jaffe-Hoffman . Route 60: Biblical Highway breaks box office expectations . The Jerusalem Post . 21 September 2023 .
  69. News: Statement of David M. Friedman, of New York, Nominee to be Ambassador to Israel . Friedman . David M. . February 16, 2017 . February 17, 2017 . .
  70. News: Daughter of US Ambassador David Friedman immigrates to Israel. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2017-09-29. en-us.
  71. News: Reagan Courts Jews, Environmentalists. Cannon. Lou. October 27, 1984. The Washington Post. March 21, 2017.
  72. News: Reagan Woos Jewish Voters on L.I. Visit. Gruson. Lindsey. October 27, 1984. The New York Times. March 21, 2017.
  73. Book: Friedman, David Melech . Sledgehammer : how breaking with the past brought peace to the Middle East . 2022 . 978-0-06-309811-4 . First . New York, NY . 1264174882.