US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman: Liberal media sides with Hamas over Trump, By Amb. David Friedman | Fox News

This past Monday, the United States at long last opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. The opening occurred 70 years to the day that Harry Truman led the United States to be the first nation to recognize Israel as a sovereign nation. The event, authorized and directed by President Trump, was a moving tribute to the enduring and unique friendship between our nation and the State of Israel.

Moving our embassy, however, was not just an act of friendship. It was an act that Congress had endorsed. In 1995, both houses of Congress overwhelming passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act urging exactly this action. As recently as last year, the United States Senate re-affirmed the Jerusalem Embassy Act by a vote of 90-0. While past government leaders have argued, from time to time, that the embassy should only move as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians, Congress said no such thing.

Past Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama all campaigned on the pledge that Jerusalem must always be the capital of Israel. Clinton and Bush also promised to move our embassy to Jerusalem. None of them honored their word. President Trump made a similar promise, but, in contrast to his predecessors, he kept it.

The opening ceremony was a beautiful and uplifting event attended by hundreds and watched by millions. As the ceremony proceeded, there were a few sporadic, peaceful protests from among the hundreds of thousands of Arabs living in Jerusalem. The West Bank remained calm.

The apparent success of the embassy’s opening ceremony enraged the liberal media. Could this be yet another diplomatic triumph by President Trump? The prospect was unbearable.

Hamas to the rescue. These thugs, acknowledged nearly universally as a terrorist organization, had been rioting in Gaza over the past six weeks for purported reasons not connected to the embassy move. They were more than willing to provide the media with a dark side to an otherwise uplifting story.

No nation in the world allows foreigners to storm its border. Period. When the declared intention of the aggressors is to kill that nation’s citizens, it is laughable to even suggest that a forceful response would not ensue.

For weeks, Hamas had been pursuing a direct and unambiguous operation against Israel: On Fridays, after stirring up emotions at weekly prayers, it incited waves of Gaza residents to violently storm the border with Israel, hoping to break through and kill Israeli citizens and kidnap Israeli soldiers. In addition, given the likelihood that these malign efforts would fail, Hamas also created “kite bombs” painted with swastikas that it launched in Israel’s direction when the winds were favorable.

No nation in the world allows foreigners to storm its border. Period.  When the declared intention of the aggressors is to kill that nation’s citizens, it is laughable to even suggest that a forceful response would not ensue.

Regrettably, Hamas convinced impressionable young adults that the border had been breached and directed them to run all the way to Jerusalem and murder their enemies. Thousands unfortunately took up the call and entered harm’s way.

Some 60 Gazans, the overwhelming majority of whom were known Hamas terrorists, lost their lives because Hamas turned them into a collective suicide bomb. They were neither heroes nor the peaceful protesters they were advertised to be.

At least not before the liberal media entered the scene. Desperate for a narrative to discredit the president’s decision to move our embassy to Jerusalem, they broadcast the opening ceremony on a split screen simultaneously displaying the Gaza riots, and condemned the insensitivity of the ceremony’s participants to the carnage that seemed next door on TV but which in actuality was occurring 60 miles away!

The next day, the liberal media vilified everyone associated with the embassy move and glorified the poor Hamas terrorists. Failed diplomats who never brought peace or stability to the region were pulled out of mothballs to regurgitate their calcified thinking. And the most deranged even accused the administration of having blood on its hands.  Tellingly, not a single pundit offered a less-lethal alternative to protecting Israel from being overrun by killers or its soldiers from being within range of pistols, IEDs or Molotov cocktails.

Let there be no mistake. Every life is equally precious, whether Jewish, Palestinian or other. But no nation should ever be called upon to sacrifice its own citizens to preserve the lives of aggressive infiltrators intent on murder and mayhem.

Ironically, Hamas had recently woken up to the fact that most responsible journalists were on to its game and Hamas was considering ending its suicidal assaults on the Israeli border. But seeing the opportunity to curry the front page or the A Block from reporters willing to shed a negative light on our president, Hamas enthusiastically launched its youth back into the fire. So who really has blood on their hands?

David Friedman is the U.S. Ambassador to Israel. 

DRIVING THE DAY -- Newspaper Front Pages

Remarks by PM Netanyahu at the Opening of the Embassy of the United States in Jerusalem

`We have no better friends in the world. You stand for Israel and you stand for Jerusalem. Thank you.

Your presence here today is a testament to the importance of this occasion, not only for the Trump administration, but in a very personal way for you. For you, each of you, for the pursuit of peace, and for President Trump himself. Thank you.

Dear friends,

What a glorious day. Remember this moment. This is history. President Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history.

All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful. For me, being here brings back wonderful memories from my childhood. [Hebrew] So, I know some of you didn’t follow every word I said in Hebrew, and I’ll tell you that I spent the first three years of my life in this neighborhood, in Ein Gedi Street in Talpiot, which is not very far away. There were a few charming houses here, many open fields. I remember ambling in these fields with my brother, Yoni. He was six; I was three. He held my hand very tight. We’d walk to this wondrous house of Professor Joseph Klausner, the renowned Jewish historian who was my father’s teacher. I used to peer through the slats of the wooden synagogue where he and the great Israeli writer, Shai Agnon, used to pray on Shabbat. And David, I would approach this place right here, but only so far, because my mother told me, “You can’t go any further.”

This was near the border. It was exposed to sniper fire. That was then. This is now, today. Today, the embassy of the most powerful nation on earth, our greatest ally, the United States of America, today its embassy opened here.

What a difference, what a difference. So for me this spot brings back personal memories, but for our people, it evokes profound collective memories of the greatest moments we have known on this City on a Hill.

In Jerusalem, Abraham passed the greatest test of faith and the right to be the father of our nation. In Jerusalem, King David established our capital three thousand years ago. In Jerusalem, King Solomon built our Temple, which stood for many centuries. In Jerusalem, Jewish exiles from Babylon rebuilt the Temple, which stood for many more centuries. In Jerusalem, the Maccabees rededicated that Temple and restored Jewish sovereignty in this land. And it was here in Jerusalem some two thousand years later that the soldiers of Israel spoke three immortal words, “Har ha’bayit be’yadeinu,” “The Temple Mount is in our hands,” words that lifted the spirit of the entire nation.

We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay.

We are here in Jerusalem, protected by the brave soldiers of the army of Israel, led by our Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and our brave soldiers, our brave soldiers are protecting the borders of Israel as we speak today. We salute them all, and the members of our security forces, the Shin Bet and the Mossad, whose head is with us today. We salute you all, all of you.

We gather here today to celebrate another historic day in the life of this city, which I know will take its place alongside other momentous decisions in the history of our people. Over a century ago, the Balfour Declaration recognized the right of the Jewish people to a national home in this land. And exactly 70 years ago today, President Truman became the first world leader to recognize the newborn Jewish state. Last December, President Trump became the first world leader to recognize Jerusalem as our capital. And today, the United States of America is opening its embassy right here in Jerusalem. Thank you. Thank you, President Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises.

Thank you, President Trump, and thank you all, for making the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever. And thank you, a special thank you, to you, Ambassador Friedman. Thank you, David, for everything you do to bring our countries and our peoples closer together. Today, you have a special privilege. You are privileged to become the first American ambassador to serve your country in Jerusalem, and this is a distinct honor that will be yours forever. Nobody can be first again. Thank you, David.

My friends, this is a great day for Israel. It’s a great day for America. It’s a great day for our fantastic partnership. But I believe it’s also a great day for peace. I want to thank Jared, Jason and David for your tireless efforts to advance peace, and for your tireless efforts to advance the truth.

The truth and peace are interconnected. A peace that is built on lies will crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality. You can only build peace on truth, and the truth is that Jerusalem has been and will always be the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state. Truth, peace and justice—as our Justice here Hanan Melcer can attest—truth, peace and justice, this is what we have and this is what we believe in.

The prophet, Zachariah, declared over 2,500 years ago, “So said the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth.’”

May the opening of this embassy in this city spread the truth far and wide, and may the truth advance a lasting peace between Israel and all our neighbors.

God bless the United States of America and God bless Jerusalem, the eternal, undivided capital of Israel.  Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melekh ha'olam shehecheyanu vekiymanu vehigi'anu lazman hazeh [Blessed are You, Lord  our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.] Thank you very much.

Donald Trump Message at The Embassy's Opening ceremony in Jerusalem

Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem: Righting a Diplomatic Wrong

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Jerusalem has been the capital of the state of Israel since 1949. Most states, however – including the US – chose not to recognize Israel’s capital and located their embassies in the Tel Aviv area. There has never been any reason to deny recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, either before or after the 1967 Six-Day War. The failure to recognize Israel’s capital is thus a unique diplomatic anomaly. In election campaigns, successive American presidents have promised to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but failed to live up to that commitment. Congress demanded recognition and transfer but to no avail. President Donald Trump dramatically changed this pattern by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordering that the US embassy be moved there.

Every sovereign country has the right to determine the location of its own capital, yet most countries in the world have denied Israel this right. When Israel was established, it was natural that the founders would establish the capital in Jerusalem. After all, Jerusalem was the capital of successive Jewish kingdoms for hundreds of years in Biblical times, ever since the reign of King David. Throughout centuries of exile, Jerusalem has occupied a major place in Jewish prayers. Jews have long yearned to return to Jerusalem and make it once again the capital of an independent Jewish State.

During the 1947-48 War of Independence, the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, made a special military effort to keep Jerusalem in Jewish hands. He was only partially successful. Israel kept control of the western section of the city but lost the eastern section to Jordan, including the Jewish Quarter and the Wailing Wall, the holiest Jewish site.

Immediately after Israel declared independence, several countries, including the US and the USSR, recognized the new state. In May 1949, Israel became a UN member. In December 1949, Israel declared the Western section of Jerusalem its capital and moved the Knesset, the presidency, the courts, ministries, and government agencies there.

There has never been any reason for the international community to deny recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Between 1948 and 1967, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan, but Berlin was also a divided city. The political and diplomatic situation in Berlin was far more controversial than it was in Jerusalem, yet the US and most other countries had no difficulty recognizing East Berlin as the capital of East Germany.

All Israeli efforts to gain recognition for Jerusalem failed. Only sixteen countries, primarily from Latin America, located their embassies in the city: the Netherlands, Haiti, the Ivory Coast, Zaire, Kenya, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Other states placed embassies in the Tel Aviv area. It is reasonable to assume that had the US established its embassy in Jerusalem, many other countries would have followed suit.

During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured and later annexed East Jerusalem and unified the city. Since then, the capital’s status has been one of the issues to be settled in Arab-Israeli negotiations. Apparently, nobody expected the conflict to persist for so many years.

After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Ivory Coast, Zaire, and Kenya severed diplomatic relations with Israel and closed their embassies in Jerusalem following a resolution by the Non-Aligned states. In 1980, the remaining countries closed their embassies following the Knesset’s passage of the “Basic Law on Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel,” which stated that the city would remain the “complete and united capital of Israel.”

Since the 1993 Oslo peace process, the Palestinians have demanded that East Jerusalem be made the capital of their independent state.

In October 1995, the US Congress passed by overwhelming majorities (Senate 93-5, House 374-37) “The Jerusalem Embassy Act.” It stated that Jerusalem should remain unified, that it should be recognized as Israel’s capital, and that the US Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by May 31, 1999. However, the law allowed the president to sign a waiver every six months on “national security” grounds. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all invoked the waiver and failed to implement the law. They assumed that moving the embassy would compromise Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and stir violent protests against the US across the Muslim world.

During the 2016 presidential election campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump repeatedly promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. On June 5, 2017, the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution (90-0) that reaffirmed the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act and called upon the president to implement it.

On December 6, 2017, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and instructed the State Department to prepare to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. The Palestinians were furious and suspended contact with the US on Trump’s pending peace plan. Many commentators and “experts” forecast widespread violent protests against the US in the Muslim world.

They were wrong. On February 23, 2018, Trump announced that the US Embassy would move to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence.

From the beginning of his term, Trump has aspired to build a legacy of bold and historically transformative events. The transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem is one of those events. Trump wanted to demonstrate that he fulfills campaign promises and also wished to satisfy his political base – especially evangelical Christians, who have strongly and consistently insisted on recognition and the embassy transfer.

Trump also believes his move will rouse the stalled Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. This may yet occur, as Trump has indicated that Israel will have to make reciprocal concessions in return for the transfer of the embassy.

Several other states have now announced that they too will move their embassies to Jerusalem, including Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, the Czech Republic, and Romania. Others may follow the US example. Trump will be remembered as a determined president who, unlike his predecessors, had the courage to correct a longstanding diplomatic anomaly.

US dedicates embassy in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The United States dedicated its embassy in Jerusalem.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin during the Monday afternoon ceremony pronounced the “Shehechyanu” prayer, said when one is thankful for a new or unusual experience.

“Today we officially open the United States embassy in Jerusalem. Congratulations it’s been a long time coming,” President Donald Trump said in a video greeting. He added that “Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like any other nation to determine its own capital.”

“Today we follow through on this recognition and open our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem,” Trump said. He added that it is opening “many, many years ahead of schedule.”

The dedication came as tens of thousands of Gazan Palestinians massed on the border with Israel, sparking reaction from Israeli soldiers posted there. At least 41 Palestinians were killed on Monday and hundreds injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Thousands of Palestinians also marched in protest in the West Bank.

A large stage with an American flag motif was erected in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood, where the existing U.S. consular headquarters will take on many of the Embassy functions. Previous administrations declined to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, preferring not to buck the international consensus that the city’s status was disputed until resolved by negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which passed by an overwhelming vote of both houses of Congress, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and called for the relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A waiver signed every six months has allowed the president to suspend moving the embassy if it is deemed “necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States.”

Among the administration members attending are U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.

The U.S. president asserted that the United States continues to “support the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites, including the Temple Mount also known as Haram al Sharif.”

Jared Kushner told the crowd, “I am so proud to be here today in Jerusalem, the eternal heart of the Jewish people,” adding that he was “especially honored to be here today as a representative of the 45th president of the United States Donald J. Trump.”

Kushner asserted that the embassy move shows that the United States can be trusted and that: “When President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it.”

Trump, he added to applause, also kept his promise in exiting the “dangerous, flawed and one-sided Iran deal.” He added: Iran’s aggression threatens the many peace-loving citizens throughout the region and the entire the world,” and that “in confronting modern threats and pursuing common interests previously unimaginable alliances are emerging.”

Netanyahu thanked Trump “for having the courage to keep your promises,” and called the opening of the embassy a “great day for peace.”

“You can only build peace on truth. And the truth is that Jerusalem has been, and always will be, the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state,” he said.

He praised the Israeli soldiers protecting the country’s borders “even as we speak,” an acknowledgement of the day’s unrest.

Several of the speakers, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Rivlin, reminded the audience that exactly 70 years ago, nearly to the moment of the ceremony, the United States under President Harry Truman became the first country to recognize the new state of Israel.

The ceremony opened with a prayer by controversial Baptist Pastor Richard Jeffries, who praised Trump’s “tremendous leadership,” and ended with a benediction by Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel. Ivanka Trump and Mnuchin, the highest ranking White House official, unveiled the official U.S.  seal on the building.

During the ceremony, Trump tweeted his congratulations, calling it a “big day for Israel.”

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Big day for Israel. Congratulations!

6:36 AM - May 14, 2018

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During the ceremony, Israeli fighter jets struck five Hamas targets in a military training facility in northern Gaza.  “The strike was conducted in response to the violent acts carried out by Hamas over last few hours along the security fence,” the IDF said.

Israeli organization reveals Trump coin in expression of 'gratitude' over embassy move

The US Embassy move: A powerful message America will stand by our friends I have long advocated that the United States take this action, and I commend President Trump for fulfilling this campaign promise. By Sen. Ted Cruz, JPOST

Exactly 70 years ago – on May 14th, 1948 – Israel’s founding father David Ben-Gurion brought together members of the Jewish People’s Council in the Tel Aviv Museum.

The Zionist movement to rebirth a Jewish state had already been at work for decades. That day Ben-Gurion stood underneath a portrait of the pioneer of that movement, Theodore Herzl, and affirmed the historic right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.

‘The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.

‘After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.’

He then declared the founding of the modern State of Israel. 11 minutes later, President Harry S. Truman courageously recognized the State of Israel, over the objection of many of his advisors and the State Department.

Seven decades later, on December 6, 2017, President Trump made another courageous decision when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announced the U.S. Embassy would be moved there.

I have long advocated that the United States take this action, and I commend President Trump for fulfilling this campaign promise.

Presidents of both parties had made the same promise, and repeatedly failed to follow through. Finally, 70 years later, America is at last recognizing Israel’s true capital.

It is also heartening to see that Guatemala will move its embassy two days after the United States, and Paraguay will be the third country to do the same by the end of May. I hope they are just the first of many nations around the world to follow America’s lead.

Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people for over 3000 years, and the capital of the Jewish State since its founding in 1948.

At the United Nations and UNESCO, we are seeing a concerted attempt to delegitimize Israel, to claim—astonishingly enough—that Jerusalem has no ties to the Jewish people. This ahistorical propaganda is dangerous, and I’ve been proud to lead efforts in the Senate to counter it by passing a congressional resolution detailing the Jewish people’s three-millennia of ties to Jerusalem, as shown by the remarkable cascade of archeological discoveries at the City of David.

Today, I am in Jerusalem to attend the official opening of our new embassy. This is my fourth trip to Israel in just over five years, and it will be a great honor to witness this historic occasion.

Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the US embassy sends a powerful message that America will stand by our friends and allies, and we will stand up to our enemies.

Moreover, it furthers the chances of peace in the Middle East by demonstrating that America’s support for Israel is unconditional, and will not be bullied by global media opinion.

This momentous achievement follows on the heels of President Trump’s rightful withdrawal from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, which empowered the enemies of Israel and the United States.

President Obama’s Iran deal was a catastrophe. Instead of constraining Iran’s nuclear weapons program, it gave Iran the time and resources to perfect it. It sent billions to the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

The deal provided the regime with vast resources that it could funnel into missile tests. It prohibited us from using our most powerful sanctions against the full range of Iranian aggression, but only imposed restrictions against a portion of Iran’s nuclear activities—and only temporarily.

The deal enabled Iran to expand and entrench on Israel’s border, and created an incentive for the international community to turn a blind eye. It gave Iran resources to funnel to Hezbollah to Israel’s north, Hamas to the south, and the Houthis in Yemen that can disrupt critical shipping.

And as the recent presentation by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made clear, unsurprisingly, significant parts of Iran’s nuclear weapons program had long gone undetected. The Obama Iran deal was built on an edifice of lies.

President Trump did exactly the right thing by getting us out, beginning to drain the mullahs’ coffers and help ensure the security of the United States and Israel.

Today, as America recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and rebuffs our common enemies, the bond between our two nations has never been stronger. We stand together for our shared freedom and ensuring our common future.

HISTORIC EVENT – WATCH FULL: Dedication Ceremony of the New U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem

The Department of State is proud to announce that the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem will be dedicated on Monday, May 14. Ambassador David M. Friedman will preside over the dedication ceremony and Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan will lead the Presidential Delegation to the historic opening along with Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, Advisor Ivanka Trump, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt.

As the President stated on December 6, 2017, the historic opening of the U.S. embassy recognizes the reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the seat of its government. Seventy years ago, the United States, under President Harry S Truman, became the first nation to recognize the State of Israel.

In a statement to the media, the U.S. State Department said the following:

“Moving our Embassy is not a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace deal; rather it is a necessary condition for it. We are not taking a position on final status issues, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, nor on the resolution of contested borders.

Consulate General Jerusalem will continue to operate as an independent mission with an unchanged mandate responsible for U.S. relations with the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority. The United States continues to support the status quo with regard to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. The Administration is firmly committed to pursuing a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians that promises a brighter future for both.”