The Biden administration was criticized for insisting that Israel punish Jewish settlers who rioted in response to a horrible terror incident by David Friedman, a former US ambassador to Israel under Trump.
Friedman, an observant Jew and ardent supporter of Israel, demanded that the administration bring charges against Jewish demonstrators in a tweet about the administration’s harsh treatment of Israel.
The former Trump representative claimed it’s “not beneficial to interfere,” compared it to BLM riots, and said it’s an internal topic that Biden shouldn’t get involved in.
Undoubtedly, the Israeli government must have condemned the rioting in Huwara—and it has. But I don’t recall Israel asking that the US arrest riots in, say, Portland in 2021. Interfering is ineffective.
Friedman was reacting to the Biden administration’s assertion that it anticipates Israel will bring criminal charges against those responsible for the settler rampage in a Palestinian hamlet and pay damages to Palestinians whose homes and property were damaged or destroyed.
Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said during a press conference that the protests that took place on Sunday night in the northern West Bank town of Huwara were “completely unacceptable” and that the United States expected the Israeli government to ensure full accountability and legal prosecution of those responsible for these attacks in addition to providing compensation for the loss of homes and property.
In response to a horrendous terror assault in which two Israeli brothers, HY”D, were shot dead while traveling through Huwara, the most recent in a string of many deadly attacks, there were violent protests.
A prominent Jew in the community appeared to concur with the overall message while criticizing Friedman’s remarks.
Former ambassador @DavidM Friedman raises a crucial point regarding American meddling in the domestic affairs of a democratic nation, Joel Petlin wrote in a tweet.
Inappropriate official statements by @USAmbIsrael over Israel’s judicial reform legislation might be compared to those.
Petlin didn’t specify which remarks he was making, but Friedman has recently spoken out in favor of Israeli judicial reform and even published an opinion piece on the topic in Israeli media.
No doubt, the riots in Huwara must be (and have been) condemned by the Israeli government. But I don’t recall Israel demanding that the US prosecute rioters in, say, Portland in 2021. Not helpful to interfere.https://t.co/UkjS6U24CF via @timesofisrael
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) February 28, 2023
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