Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman responded to the disagreements between Israel and the US government on the Iranian nuclear program.
In an interview with Mishpacha magazine, Friedman said, "Israelis enjoy the US' protective umbrella, but this umbrella, at the end of the day, protects the US power. I think it would be catastrophic to the US to lose or weaken its connection with the State of Israel."
"There were also many potential attacks against the US which were prevented by Israel. We're not talking about what was, but these things did happen. Therefore, for America's sake - especially for America's sake - reducing its presence in the Middle East and not consistently standing at Israel's side - that would be a great mistake which harms the US. It's true that it [would also harm] the State of Israel, but it would be an enormous mistake for the US."
Under the Trump administration, there was a good relationship between the US and Israeli governments, Friedman said, noting, "We spoke every day, even several times a day, and so we were always up-to-date. I hope that this situation continues."
Friedman emphasized that the Democratic government must understand that Israel will not acquiesce to every demand.
"The State of Israel is a sovereign state, and it needs to protect itself. It if needs to act quickly and it doesn't have time, it has no choice and must do what it needs to do. If the level of faith that it has today can be the same level of faith that we had, then there shouldn't be a problem. We were true partners. Partners in global and regional security, and there were no surprises. We worked in such close cooperation that there was no possibility of surprises. I hope that the relationship continues this way."
Offering a tip to the next ambassador, Friedman suggested he "respect the State of Israel's right to decide for itself what is best for it. This is a 73-year-old country. After 73 years, it certainly has come time to grant it independence."
On the issue of construction in Judea and Samaria, Friedman said, "Our claim is that the land on which Jews settled in Judea and Samaria is not illegal. The State of Israel has a right to be there, and the Palestinians also have a right to be there. People have a right to live in their homes, and no one has a right to throw anyone else out of their homes."
"The State of Israel needs to explain that there are things that it simply cannot acquiesce to," he explained. "The State of Israel has a sovereign government, it has its own population, its own democracy, and there are things that it cannot do."
On whether to open a US consulate for Palestinian Authority Arabs in Jerusalem, Friedman said that for Israel, "it would be a great mistake to consent" to the process.
Friedman also said that if former US President Donald Trump had won another term, the first thing he planned to do was to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"If we had made the peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, many more nations would have come with the same kind of thinking," he said.