Friedman: We’re not threatening Israel, we’re just asking for patience

“Any unilateral action in advance of the completion of the committee process endangers the Plan & American recognition,” Friedman tweeted.

By World Israel News Staff

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman cautioned Israel on Sunday not to proceed with annexing Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria before a joint Israel-U.S. committee completes mapping the area.

“The application of Israeli law to the territory which the Plan provides to be part of Israel is subject to the completion of a mapping process by a joint Israeli-American committee,” Friedman tweeted, adding that “any unilateral action in advance of the completion of the committee process endangers the Plan & American recognition.”

The ambassador clarified the tweet on Sunday at a conference hosted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. “It was not a threat,” Friedman said.

“A little bit of patience, to go through a process, to do it right, is not something which we think is too much to ask for.” he said.

There appears to be a discrepancy between the definition of “patience” between the U.S. and Israel.

On Saturday evening, in a speech in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government is working on mapping the territory to be added to the Jewish State, he also called for patience.

“We’ve been waiting since 1967, and people are making a big deal over a few weeks. It will happen,” Netanyahu said.

However, last Thurday, Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner talked of “a couple of months” to work out the map while speaking to journalists at the UN.

This didn’t dampen Netanyahu’s enthusiasm on Saturday.

“We have American support for the annexation of the Jordan Valley and communities in Judea and Samaria, including all of them,” Netanyahu said.

“We are already at the height of the process of mapping the area that, according to the Trump plan, will become part of the State of Israel. It won’t take too long.”

“Trump will do it. I trust him completely,” he added.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett called on Netanyahu to swiftly annex the settlements.

“There will never be a more fitting time to extend sovereignty on our land,” Bennett tweeted on Saturday night.

“I call on Netanyahu to bring the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria to an immediate vote in the cabinet. Mr. prime minister, we will be at your side. Without sovereignty, we will get a Palestinian terror state with Jerusalem as its capital.”