Former US ambassador to Israel warns Biden administration of its rocky relationship with Israel

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman made a number of critical comments about the Biden administration’s relationship with Israel, saying that not inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington was a “grave mistake.”  

“As long as tensions between the U.S. and Israel continue, there’s potential for the situation to worsen to the point of compromising Israel's security. The weaker Israel's international diplomatic status becomes, the more aggressive its enemies become in their attempts to harm Israel,” he said during an interview on Wednesday with the religious publication, Kfar Chabad Magazine.

Friedman noted that creating daylight between Washington and Jerusalem only serves to embolden Israel’s enemies. 

“This can be seen in the West Bank, as well as in other areas such as Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. When enemies see the U.S. distancing itself from Israel, unfortunately, they become emboldened,” he added.

Friedman also said that current U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides made matters worse with a recent comment he posted on social media, equating the deaths of terrorists with the deaths of innocent Israelis.

“This is even more troubling against the backdrop of other incidents, such as the style of the current U.S. ambassador to Israel, comparing the murder of innocent Israeli Jews by Palestinian terrorists to the deaths of terrorists in clashes with the IDF,” he said. 

Israel's former American ambassador also criticized the Biden administration’s Iran policies.

“Another, even more severe issue are the connections between the Biden administration and Iranian representatives on upcoming agreements, without the cooperation and information-sharing with Israel,” Friedman said. “At least not to the extent expected and required. At least that's my impression, although, of course, I don't know about updates and discussions that may take place secretly.”

Friedman noted that Washington's criticism of Israel's decisions regarding the settlements was disproportionate.

“All of this is beside the disproportional criticism of Israel's actions, such as approving construction beyond the Green Line and more. This issue has almost become an obsession for the Biden administration while disregarding almost completely the Israeli position, which I believe to be its true right to build in its homeland promised in the Bible,” he said. 

However, when it comes to the military cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem, Friedman stressed that Israel-U.S. relations are stable.

“There has always been, and still is, a great mutual respect between the two sides, and it seems that at least for now, these connections continue to hold firm,” he said.