David Friedman was officially sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Israel at a special White House ceremony.
[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
Vice President Mike Pence conducted the swearing-in and described it as “one of the clearest signs” of President Donald Trump’s strong commitment to the Jewish state.
“The president of the United States of America is a lifelong friend of Israel and the Jewish people and, under his leadership, if the world knows nothing else the world will know this: America stands with Israel,” Pence said.
Friedman—Trump’s former bankruptcy attorney—had encountered significant opposition from Democrats and some liberal Jewish organizations following his nomination for the role, due to his anti-two state and pro-settlement stance as well as his strong-worded criticism from Palestinian and left-wing activists.
It turned into an all out circus as Friedman tried to answer tough questioning from lawmakers while he kept getting disturbed by heckling from protesters at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations committee.
Protesters shout during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on David Friedman’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
One activist blew into a shofar and was heard saying before being escorted out of the room, the Times of Israel reported. Earlier, a protester held up Palestinian flags and chanted, “We were there, we are there, and we will always be in Palestine.”
Yet Friedman’s nomination was roundly applauded in February by more than 70 evangelical Christian leaders, who issued a letter backing his candidacy.
FULL SWEARING IN VIDEO:
Friedman is the first of Trump’s ambassadorial candidates to be sworn in to office.
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