Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Trump never planned to give the Palestinians a state, says former ambassador David Friedman

“Global Perspectives” with Ellie Cohanim, Ep. 28

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was never planning to give the Palestinians a state, his former ambassador told JNS.

In an interview with Ellie Cohanim, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman says that former President Donald Trump understood that Israel has only “held onto land” when it was essential for the country’s security and “where the land represents the biblical history of the Jewish people.”

Trump’s “Peace for Prosperity” Mideast plan had new territorial dimensions, which gave the Palestinians a significant amount of incremental territory, he said. But when push came to shove: “Would they have a state in the traditional sense? No, they would not.”

Friedman’s new book, Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East was recently published by HarperCollins.

Watch it below and subscribe to the JNS YouTube channel.

It also airs on the Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS).

About Global Perspectives with Ellie Cohanim: “Global Perspectives” is Jewish News Syndicate’s newest production. Join former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the U.S. Department of State Ellie Cohanim, as she hosts some of the most important geopolitical conversations taking place in the Jewish world today. Cohanim, a sought-after speaker in her own right, interviews heads of state, policymakers, thought leaders and activists, in frank and open discussions.

She has pledged to uphold her brother’s foreign policy legacy, including support for Israel, backing the Trump administration in the war against Iran and opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military will prevent Hamas from rebuilding and continue hunting down every terrorist who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre.
“I’m an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, so antisemitism is why I’m here in the first place,” the mother told JNS. “To see it out in full effect in the daylight is awful.”
Ambassador Tom Barrack clarified his comments regarding Israeli control of the strategic plateau after drawing rebukes from Jerusalem and Capitol Hill.