Corker Opening Statement at Business Meeting on Nomination of David Friedman to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel

United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 

Business Meeting: Nomination of David Friedman to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel

March 9, 2017

U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Chairman

Opening Statement

This business meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order.

Today we will consider the nomination of David Friedman to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

Israel is our closest friend and strongest partner in the region, and this position is a vital post.

Mr. Friedman is an impassioned advocate for America and for strengthening the mutually beneficial bond between the United States and Israel.

He understands the complexity of the issues at stake for the U.S. and the necessity to support a democratic ally in an important and unstable part of the world.

I hope we can all appreciate the sincere desire of the president for a renewed attempt at a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

To represent the U.S. and facilitate that effort, the president needs an ambassador who shares his vision and his confidence.

Mr. Friedman is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task at hand, and I believe he views this opportunity as a calling and will put his full energy behind service to our nation and our interests in Israel.

With that, I would like to recognize the distinguished ranking member and my friend, Ben Cardin.

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