American Jewish Congress President Mr. Jack Rosen and Vice President Dr. Munr Kazmir released the following statement on the announcement of David Friedman being appointed as the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel:
"The American Jewish Congress congratulates David Friedman on his appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
"Clearly, Mr. Friedman represents a different approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than we have seen in the past. While we support fully a peaceful resolution and have worked tirelessly over the years to build bridges between Israelis and Palestinians, it is, however the time to confront Palestinian incitement and murdering of Jews. "That said, the Palestinians have not been serious about the Peace Process for many years and have been working to undermine the State of Israel both through incitement of hatred and acts of violence against Israelis, and also through diplomatic and lobbying efforts abroad, including attacking Israel in foreign parliaments, at the United Nations and most recently leading the efforts at UNESCO resolutions to deny Jewish and Christian claims to historical holy sites. The Palestinians and the international community need to understand that diplomatic terrorism has consequences, and so it's no surprise to us that the incoming US Administration seems to be pursuing a different approach, as seen by Mr. Friedman's appointment and widely publicized plans to move the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
"All actions have consequences and this move by the new Trump Administration is perhaps only a natural reaction."