15th August, 2017
The daughter of United States Ambassador to Israel, Mr David Friedman, became an Israeli citizen on Tuesday.
Talia, 23, arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport with over 200 other Jewish-Americans who were immigrating under the Law of Return, which affords any Jewish person the right to obtain Israeli citizenship.
“We have a culture of Israeli-Americans, and I think they owe a lot to both countries and it’s very encouraging to see the connection strengthen between Israel and America,’’ Friedman told reporters at the airport.
Friedman, a former bankruptcy lawyer for now U.S. President Donald Trump, had stirred controversy for actively promoting Israeli settlements in the West Bank, prior to his ambassadorship.
A delegation of U.S. officials, including Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner; special envoy, Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser, Dina Powell, are expected to arrive in Israel before end of August.
They are to help in restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.