Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman blasted President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel as “humiliating and insulting” for Israel, describing how Biden denied Israeli sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem and failed to offer a credible threat of deterrence against Iran.
“Apart from the overall love fest which is something every Israeli government will give to every American president because of the closeness of the two countries, if you just peel it back one layer, I think it was pretty insulting and humiliating for Israel,” Friedman told Newsmax.
“First of all on the initial point he made about about Jerusalem, he would not visit the Western Wall. If you recall back in May of 2017, Donald trump was and remains the only sitting president to visit the Western Wall. The Western Wall is the iconic symbol of the State of Israel and the historic rights of the Jewish people that spans some 4,000 years to be in the land of Israel.”
He continued: “That was that was bad enough. Then he takes his Beast [the presidential limo], takes off the Israeli flag, drives to a section of East Jerusalem and refuses to allow any Israeli representative to accompany him even though the State of Israel has asserted its sovereignty over all of Jerusalem for more than 50 years.”
Friedman described Biden’s decision as “offensive.”
“His actions were very clear. He denied Israeli sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem. Every Israeli prime minister, right left or center, would find that offensive,” he said.
He also slammed Biden’s lack of tough talk on Iran during his trip.
“[Prime Minister Yair Lapid] begged America to present a credible threat of deterrence to Iran, and he said specifically, a credible threat of force. You didn't hear any of that from the president. You didn't hear him articulate any red lines, any circumstances under which America would use force, and given the history of the Biden administration, whether it's in Afghanistan or Ukraine or China or elsewhere, I don’t think anyone paying attention thinks that the United States right now offers a credible threat of force to Iran,” Friedman said.
“The two things I think Israel was looking for, one was some real teeth with regard to their battle against Iran, the other just a basic recognition that the policies of President Trump on Jerusalem would continue. [On] those two points, they came up empty handed.“