(JTA) — J Street is stepping up its campaign to block David Friedman, President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced it will hold a confirmation hearing this week.

The committee announced on Saturday that the hearing is set for Feb. 16, a day after Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Should the committee cooperate on his nomination, Friedman could be approved by the full Senate within several days.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The nomination of Friedman, a bankruptcy expert and longtime Trump attorney, was announced by the Trump transition team in December. Friedman has expressed support for and funded construction in Israeli settlements.

Some of his controversial statements — including slamming backers of the liberal Israel advocacy group J Street as “far worse than kapos” and charging President Barack Obama with “blatant anti-Semitism” — have sparked outrage from liberal groups.

J Street has called on its supporters to contact their senators and encourage them to oppose Friedman’s nomination, as well as to tweet and post in other social media against him.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount