Ambassador Friedman says uprooting is inhumane

USA ambassador David Friedman's made an important statement in an interview with Israel National News that Benny Gantz and even the Meretz party would do well to ponder, as it happens to be in the favor of everyone who believes in Israel's safety and not in segregation:

What can you tell us about the future of the settlements in Judea and Samaria under the plan?

“That is a very important part of the plan. I don’t want to get too into it, but I’ll tell you something which I’ve said on numerous occasions: Having seen the experience of the evacuation of Gaza, I don’t believe that there is a realistic plan that can be implemented that will require anyone, Jew or Arab, to be forced to leave their home. That would be recipe for disaster It almost caused a civil war on much, much less aggressive circumstances in Gaza, compared to Judea and Samaria. So we are not of the view that any forced evacuations are achievable. And I say that for both Jewish and Arab perspectives."

And how about construction? Is there still discussion and coordination over the years or are we only waiting for this deal?

We have discussion and coordination, but the facts speak for themselves. We have not been critical of settlements in any absolute sense. We've expressed our views in the past and have been consistent in those views. But the surest way to resolve all these issues is to come up with a structure that the state of Israel can agree to, where everybody knows, and we don't have these quarterly or monthly issues about settlements.

No uprooting?

No. It's frankly an inhumane process - speaking about Jews or Arabs. It failed in 2006, produced an extreme adverse reaction among Israelis. I think it's a failed policy, and not something that we would advance.

And if Gantz and other leftists like him are smart, they won't do it either if they're chosen to form a government, mainly because they will not have the support of the USA for any such vile steps, and unlike times past, this time can lead to trouble for them. It's also vital to note that the State Department recently dropped "palestinian territories" from its website listings, and for good reason. There's no need to keep perpetuating lies that have practically come at the USA's expense as much as Israel's and many other countries around the globe.

Friedman's willingness to speak up on a crucial subject like this is commendable, and very helpful to all in Israel who support historical birthright and unity.