Assessment: Former Secretary of State visits Samaria winery, decries criticism of Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria. ‘Israel isn’t an occupier.’
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Psagot Winery north of Jerusalem Sunday, addressing a gathering which included Israeli Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat (Safed).
During the visit, Pompeo discussed his work during the Trump administration with then-US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on a number of issues related to Israel, from the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, to a special statement recognizing Israel’s rights to Judea and Samaria.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
“When we talked about things in the way the world really ought to exist, and the way the reality on the ground does in fact exist – we know it – I had a great partner here: Ambassador Friedman. He was a bulldozer for the truth. He did it with kindness and gentleness. But no one would mistake it for timidity,” Pompeo told the gathering.
“We conspired to work, to make sure that we told the world the truth. The first truth that we told was that the rightful capital of this nation is where we should have our embassy.”
