Trump pick Bolton a ‘friend’ of Israel, reviled by Palestinians

JERUSALEM: Israeli ministers on Friday hailed US President Donald Trump’s choice of hardliner John Bolton as his new national security advisor, a pick denounced by a senior Palestinian official.

Trump on Thursday announced that Bolton, a former United Nations ambassador and arch-hawk, would be replacing embattled army general HR McMaster in the key position.

Bolton is known for his strong support for Israel and his hostility to the Jewish state’s key foe Iran, and once said the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dead.Ministers from the far-right Jewish Home party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud hailed the selection of walrus-moustached Bolton.

“President Trump is continuing to appoint true friends of Israel to senior positions. John Bolton stands out among them,” Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of Jewish Home said in a statement.“The Trump administration is turning out to be the most friendly administration to Israel ever,” she added.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who leads Jewish Home, tweeted that Bolton was “an extraordinary security expert, experienced diplomat and a stalwart friend of Israel.”Environment Minister Zeev Elkin of Netanyahu’s Likud echoed his cabinet colleagues, telling Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM Bolton was “unquestionably a friend of Israel for many years, including in his position as US ambassador to the UN”.

In contrast the Palestinians reacted angrily, with Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, slamming Trump’s pick.“This man has a long history of hostility to Palestinians, dating to when he was at the United Nations, where he was protecting Israeli immunity,” Ashrawi told AFP, referring to US vetoes of UN resolutions targeting Israel.

With Bolton’s appointment, she said, the Trump administration “has joined with extremist Zionists, fundamentalist Christians and white racists.”“All this will lead to a devastating reality for Palestine and the region.”Bolton was known as a sharp-tongued and controversial UN ambassador during George W. Bush’s administration who virulently defended Israel.—AFP