Chuck Schumer Not Taking Sides on David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel

Image by Forward Montage
J Street and others opposing David Friedman’s nomination as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel are facing an uphill battle as they try to block his confirmation in the Senate.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate Minority Leader, was not willing to commit on Friday to voting against Friedman when his nomination reaches the Senate floor. “They haven’t spoken,” Schumer’s office told The Hill on Friday. In order to derail Friedman’s confirmation, opponents will need all Senate Democrats to vote against him, in addition to at least another three Republican Senators willing to vote against their president’s choice.

Image by getty images
In the House of Representatives, which does not have a say in the confirmation process, five members, three of them Jewish have spoken out so far against Friedman’s nomination.
On Monday, Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky Joined New York’s Jerrold Nadler and John Yarmuth of Kentucky in rejecting Friedman as ambassador to Israel, calling him “wholly unfit and completely unqualified.”
Wisconsin’s Gwen Moore said in a statement that Friedman “lacks the experience and temperament necessary” for the job,” and Gerry Connolly from Virginia called Friedman “an intolerant bigot of the first order.”
The bottom line for the anti-Friedman camp is that Democrats have yet to get on board with the drive to defeat the nomination. And before hoping to peel off several Republican votes, opponents of Friedman will have to convince all Senate Democrats that a vote against the nomination will not be seen as a vote against Israel.
AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby, has not weighed in on the choice of Friedman as ambassador to Israel, citing “a long standing policy of not taking positions on presidential appointments.”
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday that it is “very alarming” that Donald Trump chose Friedman for the post. “For God’s sake, what’s going on?” Erekat asked during a briefing organized by the Wilson Center, warning that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, as Friedman has promised to do, “will be the end of the two-state solution era.”
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
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.
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.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
News Who is Alan Garber, the Jewish Harvard president who stood up to Trump over antisemitism?
- 4
Opinion Yes, the attack on Gov. Shapiro was antisemitic. Here’s what the left should learn from it
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Survivors of the Holocaust and Oct. 7 embrace at Auschwitz, marking annual March of the Living
-
Fast Forward Could changes at the FDA call the kosher status of milk into question? Many are asking.
-
Fast Forward Long Island synagogue cancels Ben-Gvir talk amid wide tensions over whether to host him
-
Fast Forward Trump mandates universities to report foreign funding, a demand of pro-Israel groups
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.