© Bradley C. Bower / BloombergPresident-elect Donald J. Trump, center, his daughter Ivanka Trump, right, and attorney David Friedman exit U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Camden, New Jersey, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010.
Friedman won't be the first Jewish ambassador to Israel, of course: Dan Shapiro, Dan Kurtzer and Martin Indyk preceded him. They often clashed with Israeli governments, but usually on behalf of their superiors in Washington and in the understated diplomatic tones in which they were trained. And whatever their opinions, they were well entrenched within the Israeli mainstream.
Friedman would be a different kind of envoy altogether, on the assumption that his appointment is approved, which, to my mind, is far from certain. Friedman has expressed opinions that are considered radical even in today's more right-wing Israel. He opposes a two-state solution, supports settlements and advocates annexation, has denigrated President Obama as an anti-Semite, questioned the citizenship of Israeli Arabs, compared J Street to Holocaust-era kapos and so on. It's good he'll be coming with diplomatic immunity: For some of his articles and statements, Friedman could get arrested by the Israeli police on suspicion of incitement.
Friedman's appointment would seem to confirm Bennett's initial jubilation following Trump's election: This is not an ambassador that a rational U.S. administration would send if it had any plans whatsoever to advance the peace process. This is an ambassador who will please Evangelicals, delight Jewish settlers and bring pleasure to Land of Israel zealots far and wide. In many ways, Friedman will seem like a turbo-charged Ron Dermer, courting the extreme right in his host country while shunning all the rest. It will upset many Israelis, including, possibly, Netanyahu himself. The prime minister is always concerned more about his right-wing flanks than his opposition on the left: The last thing he needs is a U.S. ambassador who supports his most feared rivals.
Comment: See also: Details on the alleged Turkish-Iranian-Russian ceasefire plan for Syria - to begin Dec. 29?
Some more details from and observations about Putin's meeting with Lavrov and Shoigu:
- While Syria was not a signatory, it's significant that they came on board for a deal significantly brokered by Turkey. If nothing else, that just proves the skills of the Russian negotiators, and the reasonableness of the Syrians.
- The Russian Defense Ministry has set up a communications hotline to maintain cooperation with Turkey.
- Shoigu: "Over these two months [of negotiations with rebel leaders], we spent the bulk of the time on making sure that the maps indicate what we at one point asked our American colleagues to do." Slap! The rebels have indicated the exact areas under their control.
- Lavrov extended an invitation to Egypt to join on as a truce guarantor. Eventually, they would like to have Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Jordan join on as well, not to mention the incoming Trump administration.
Update: Syrian FM Muallem told Syrian state TV the following: The Kurdish PYD were not invited to join the deal (most likely at Turkey's request).