Ambassador Friedman: Israel Shouldn't Have to Ask U.S. Permission to Build in West Bank

[Darkman00]

Ambassador Friedman: Israel Shouldn't Have to Ask U.S. Permission to Build in West Bank

In extensive interview to Israeli daily, Friedman says the administration never challenges Israeli construction plans for settlements, addresses Trump statement that Israel will have to pay 'high price' for embassy move

Haaretz

Sep 08, 2018 5:32 PM

Ambassador Friedman meeting with PM Netanyhau in his office in Jerusalem May 16, 2017Mati Stern/ U.S. Embassy


U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that "Israel shouldn't have to ask permission from the U.S." to build in the West Bank.

The comment was part of an extensive interview with the envoy that was published in the Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom on Friday.

According to Friedman, Israel currently presents its construction plans to the Trump administration, which sometimes replies with notes and requests. "If we have an issue with something we say 'Do we really need to go that far? Can you build close to the existing settlement?'" Friedman said as an example of commentary the administration sometimes gives on Israeli construction plans in the West Bank.

He also noted that the Israeli government recognizes American reservations and takes them into consideration.

U.S. Ambassador David Friedman standing next to the controversial photo, May 22, 2018.Israel Cohen / Kikar Hashabat


Friedman reiterated President Donald Trump's opinion that the settlements do not pose an obstacle for peace.

"If the expansion continues unmitigated, there will be much greater limitations regarding the territory it would be possible to give to the Palestinians. So to preserve that option, there needs to be some balance."

When asked how the administration would react of Israel presented a construction plan for an "East Jerusalem Belt," Friedman skirted a direct answer and only noted the plan must serve regional stability and peace.

The U.S. envoy added that contrary to the Obama administration, Trump does not examine every house and neighborhood built in the West Bank. "We receive an encompassing overview and have an understanding of what the overall strategy for development would be," he said, noting that "We conduct talks … We never tell them [the Israeli government] 'this you have to take out of the list.'"

According to Friedman, the current administration has never challenged an Israeli construction plan in the West Bank.


Read more: Ambassador Friedman: Israel shouldn't have to ask U.S. permission to build in West Bank


---------

He is right ... It's like asking someone to hold your dick while going for a piss.

 

[cnm]

Oh, c'mon, they're receiving $3 billion annually for the privilege of having the US hold their dick, it's hardly a lot to ask.

 

[USAF 2023]

I honestly don’t care if they.dont build there anymore as long as the “ 67 Borders” are DOA

 

[Darkman00]

Oh, c'mon, they're receiving $3 billion annually for the privilege of having the US hold their dick, it's hardly a lot to ask.

That's just for holding their dick ... But not while they are going for a piss ...

 

[RoccoR]

Forums > Global Discussion > Israel and Palestine >
RE: Ambassador Friedman: Israel Shouldn't Have to Ask U.S. Permission to Build in West Bank
※→ cnm, "ILOVEISRAEL, Darkman00, et al,

BLUF: NO! → Israel DOES NOT Have to Ask U.S. Permission to Build in West Bank.

Oh, c'mon, they're receiving $3 billion annually for the privilege of having the US hold their dick, it's hardly a lot to ask.

(COMMENT)

I think that the US should not be preserved as a Puppetmaster. The relationship between the US and Israel is one of mutual respect.

But in the foreign policy arena → the US has an unwritten "special relationship" with Israel → and has had this relationship from the very beginning. The US was the first nation to recognize Israel's Independence. While the US did not formally enter the fray, it provided many volunteers (Mahal)(Nicknamed: "lone soldiers"); one of which (Colonel Micky Marcus, USA, Deceased) became the first General Officer in the IDF.

The relationship is NOT built on money; not at all. That is not to say that the money aspect is not important. It is built on commonality in beliefs and a moral reference plane that you cannot find anywhere else in the Region.

I honestly don’t care if they.dont build there anymore as long as the “ 67 Borders” are DOA

(COMMENT)

Yes, most people do not understand the underpinning of the settlement program. BUT “until a just and lasting peace in the Middle East is achieved” the settlements will be maintained.

I do not understand the references to the "1967 Borders." (I always get confused as thwhether they speak to the boundaries of pre-Six Day War demarcations (up to 4 June 1948), or the current demarcations. I do not think it is actually proper to refer the old Green Line established by Armistice arrangements. The Armistice lines were dissolved by the Peace Treaties with Israel and Egypt.

When asked how the administration would react of Israel presented a construction plan for an "East Jerusalem Belt," Friedman skirted a direct answer and only noted the plan must serve regional stability and peace.

(COMMENT)

I guess I need to be schooled here. What does the East Jerusalem Belt have to do with regional stability and peace?

Most Respectfully,
R

 

[Ecocertifmrl]

Haaretz.

Word

 

[Mindful]

I honestly don’t care if they.dont build there anymore as long as the “ 67 Borders” are DOA

They are armistice lines, are they not?

 

[Mindful]

Should need no permission, or approval, for this either.

President Trump: The Courage to Act

 

[Mindful]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

• 
  
• Trump comes out of the whole situation well -- taking on a promise that his three predecessors made, but on which only he had the courage to act. Those who have most forcibly criticised him, on the other hand, have shown something weak, as well as ugly, about themselves.<
  

 

[Mindful]

Particularly telling.

> Perhaps May feels the pressure of the Foreign Office status quo. Or perhaps she feels the pressure of Jeremy Corbyn's band of anti-Semites at her back. Or -- who knows -- perhaps she worries about the millions of British Muslims from South Asia who can occasionally be whipped up into believing that the prime responsibility of Muslims worldwide is to rage about Middle Eastern politics -- only of course if Jews are involved (otherwise they remain placid). Certainly that appeared to be on the national broadcaster's mind, with the BBC choosing to go straight to the


Muslim-dominated city of Bradford to ask South Asian Muslims there what they thought about Jerusalem.<

 

[Ecocertifmrl]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

 

[Mindful]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

 

[Ecocertifmrl]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

 

[Mindful]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

 

[Ecocertifmrl]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

Ooh. And I so wanted to read 1

 

[Mindful]

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

From that piece:

> The reaction around the world in recent days has been a reminder of the one central truth of the whole conflict. Those who cannot accept that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel tend to be exactly the same as those who cannot accept the State of Israel.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

Ooh. And I so wanted to read 1

We're still done.

 

[Ecocertifmrl]

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

I think that that is not true. But my intellect is nothing compared to Trump. I mean statistically. I mean the proposition given - not about Trump. By me. I mean the insinuation that. Uh. Can you just give a proper source, please?

What do you mean a proper source? One that slots into your mindset?

One that isn't categorized as Israeli propaganda.

We're done then.

Ooh. And I so wanted to read 1

We're still done.

Auch.

The troll refuses to discuss with me