US Ambassador: ‘No reason to evacuate’ Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria

The US ambassador to Israel reportedly commented at a meeting with a Knesset member and prominent Palestinian businessman that there is “no reason to evacuate settlements” in the forthcoming Trump peace plan.

By: World Israel News Staff

Following a meeting on Wednesday at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, reports surfaced in the Israeli media that US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Knesset member Yehudah Glick that there is “no reason to evacuate settlements” in the as-yet unreleased Middle East peace plan being developed by President Donald Trump.

Glick’s account of Friedman’s comments were published by the Times of Israel, which spoke directly with the Israeli politician.

A Likud member and leading voice for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, Glick arranged the meeting with Friedman to present Israeli-Palestinian economic ventures. The meeting was also attended by Palestinian businessman Muhammad Nasser and Har Hebron Regional Council chairman Yochai Damari.

According to the Times, Glick and Damari put forth a development plan for a medical center for both populations and a new Israeli industrial zone in the southern portion of the Judea and Samaria region. The project could result in thousands of jobs for Palestinians

Glick told the Times of Israel that Friedman was “very explicit” regarding Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Commenting on future Israeli-Palestinian ventures such as the ones discussed at the meeting with Friedman, Glick remarked, “I think it’s the only way to move forward here because neither we nor the Palestinians are going to be disappearing any time soon and we have to learn to live together.”

While Friedman has remained a staunch supporter of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, serving as president of American Friends of Bet El Institutions which supports the Bet El community, the US State Department has cautioned in the past that his comments do not necessarily reflect the agency’s official policy.