Friedman: US should not call West Bank ‘occupied territory’

US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has requested the American government cease from using the term “occupied territories” and replace it with “West Bank territory”, the Times of Israel reported yesterday.

The paper said the State Department had rejected Friedman’s recommendations but after being placed under immense pressure it discussed the issue again and said President Donald Trump would have the final on the matter.

Friedman has previously been rebuffed following remarks he has made on the Palestine-Israel conflict most recently his description of illegal Jewish only settlements in the occupied West Bank as being “part of Israel”. In response, a US spokesperson said the remarks “should not be read as a shift in US policy”.

Friedman has also referred to the “alleged” occupation, terminology which was also rejected by the administration.

“Our position on that hasn’t changed,” the spokesperson told reporters, according to Times of Israel. “The comment does not represent a shift in US policy.”

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