PLO officials see comment as negative for US ties

Commemorating the one-year anniversary of the US moving their embassy to Jerusalem, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman declared that “Israel is on the side of God,” calling that a “secret weapon that not too many countries have.”

This sort of declaration is not unheard of among some varieties of Christianity within the United States. It has not, however, ever been a stated aspect of US policy, and Friedman’s comments suggest it is part of what is driving US policy toward Israel in general, including the embassy relocation. 

PLO officials view this declaration as an extremely negative sign for already struggling US-Palestinian ties. PLO negotiator Hanan Ashrawi asked where placing Israel on the “side of God” leaves the rest of the world, while former chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said that what Friedman was effectively telling Palestinians, both Christians and Muslims is that “they’re enemies of God” He added that this had never been the US position before. 

Clearly the US position is changing. Former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said that the comments were “extremely inappropriate” for an ambassador of the United States government to make.