Israeli right welcomes Trump ambassador pick
JERUSALEM (AFP) -
A senior Israeli government official on Friday joined settlers in welcoming US President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of a hardline lawyer to be ambassador to the Jewish state.
David Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer, supports settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, characterised by succesive US administrations as an "obstacle to peace" with the Palestinians.
"Friedman's appointment is good news for Israel," deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said in a statement.
Friedman -- a Trump campaign adviser -- backs moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, contrary to Washington's longstanding policy of basing its ambassador in Tel Aviv.
"His positions reflect the will to strengthen the status of Israel's capital, Jerusalem, at this time and an understanding that the settlements have never been the real problem in the region," Hotovely wrote.
http://www.france24.com/en/20161216-israeli-right-welcomes-trump-ambassador-pick
At least there may be a reduction in diplomatic fictions.