‘Trump is the least pro-two state president ever’ – Ex-US Ambassador

Trump’s former envoy to Israel downplays the president’s rejection of Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, endorsement of a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

By World Israel News Staff

A former American envoy to Israel defended President Donald Trump from criticism over his apparent shift on key issues related to Israel, suggesting the president would likely back Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria if accompanied by some form of Palestinian autonomy.

On Tuesday, former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman addressed the Israel Hayom Conference in New York, discussing Trump’s policies vis-a-vis Israel, the growing generational divide on Israel, and US aid to Israel.

In early February, shortly after returning to office, President Trump refused to rule out backing Israeli plans to apply sovereignty in part or all of Judea and Samaria, telling reporters that the administration would issue a statement on the matter within the following four weeks.

No statement was made, and by October both he and Vice President JD Vance explicitly ruled out annexation.

The 20-point Gaza peace plan presented by the White House that month also included explicit support for a pathway to Palestinian statehood, further fueling concerns on the Israeli right that Trump had fundamentally changed his position on the Jewish state.

However, in his address Tuesday, Friedman downplayed the president’s October comments, suggesting that Trump would likely back Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, albeit only if it included some kind of Palestinian autonomy.

Friedman argued that such a plan, modeled after the relationship between the US and Puerto Rico – which is sovereign American territory yet retains limited self-government – could win Trump’s backing.

“I don’t see any reason why he would be against that in principle,” Friedman said. “I think he would support that in principle.”

“We want to know that 10 years from now,” Friedman continued, “places like Jerusalem, Beit El, Hebron, Shiloh, the wellspring of our Judeo-Christian heritage to be in good hands, that they’ll be in good hands. If Israel is not the sovereign, then they won’t be.”

Trump’s former envoy argued that the president is “agnostic” on what form a final status arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians should take, adding that Trump is “the least pro-two state of any president since 1967.”

Turning to the decline in American support for Israel, Friedman argued that the divide was primarily between age groups, and is less defined by partisan affiliation, calling it a “massive generational problem.”

“We have it on the left, we have it on the right, and obviously it factors its way into politics.”

Friedman pushed back on claims by critics of American aid to Israel, arguing that the partnership benefits the US as well.

“The US military… spends about 100 billion dollars a year on research and development. Okay? You look at that at the 3.3 billion dollars that it gives to Israel. If you put it in that bucket, it’s the best money spent on research and development within this entire 100 million dollar budget… uh, 100 billion dollar budget.”