As the United States Ambassador to Israel from March 2017 until January 2021, Ambassador David Friedman successfully guided unprecedented diplomatic advancements in the US – Israel relationship, including moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He also is among a small group of American officials responsible for the “Abraham Accords” — peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco — for which he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.
Ambassador Friedman was recognized in each of the past five years by the Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world – he came in 2nd in 2019 and tied for first in 2020. He also was named one of the 20 Most Impactful Persons of the Past Decade by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Ambassador Friedman was honored by President Trump with the National Security Medal in September 2020 – less than 100 Americans have received that award in its history — and by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff with the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal in April 2019. He has received numerous other honors, recognitions and awards including honorary doctorates from Yeshiva University in New York and Ariel University in the Shomron.
Ambassador Friedman is the Founder of The Friedman Center for Peace through Strength which works to build upon the Ambassador’s achievements in strengthening the US-Israel relationship.
On February 8, 2022, HarperCollins published Ambassador Friedman’s best-selling memoir, Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East.