Donald Trump’s Pick for Israel Envoy Helped Fund Settlers David Friedman’s longstanding ties to Beit El settlement in West Bank could complicate any Palestinian peace talks By Rory Jones and Carol E. Lee
http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trumps-pick-for-israel-envoy-helped-fund-settlers-1482280901
Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has helped raise millions of dollars for a prominent West Bank settlement, a connection that could complicate the president-elect’s promised effort to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Mr. Friedman and his family have longstanding connections to the settlement, Beit El, a large and politically active settlement that has benefited from extensive support from the U.S. Mr. Trump’s personal foundation also has donated to the settlement, whose name is sometimes spelled Bet El.
Mr. Friedman heads an organization named Bet El Institutions, which aids the settlement. He also leads the organization’s U.S.-registered charity, the American Friends of Bet El Yeshiva Center.
From 2010 through 2014, the nonprofit center raised nearly $10 million in gifts and contributions for schools, education initiatives and a news organization in the settlement, according to the latest U.S. tax filings posted on Guidestar.org, a website that displays data on nonprofits.
The center also has been supported by donations from the family of Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The Trump transition team, Messrs. Friedman and Kushner didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The connections with Beit El could be a lightning rod in any peace talks, which stalled during President Barack Obama’s tenure, as Palestinians seek to establish a future state on land where settlements such as Beit El are located.
Many settlers and conservative Israeli lawmakers have welcomed Mr. Trump’s selection of Mr. Friedman, who they believe could help spur a significant change in U.S. policy, which, since the 1990s, has supported establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Mr. Friedman has expressed skepticism about the possibility of the so-called two-state solution. CONTINUE AT SITE
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