Jerusalem – The Trump administration official who said the Western Wall is not part of Israel was David Berns, the political counselor at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, according to an Israeli television news report.
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A second U.S. official, the consulate’s economic counselor Jonathan Shrier, also was involved in the incident, Channel 2 reported Tuesday evening. It said Berns could lose his job over the incident.
The remark that the Western Wall “is not your territory, it’s part of the West Bank” reportedly arose during conversations between an advance team planning Trump’s visit to Israel next week and officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. In response, some members of the Israeli delegation started shouting, Channel 2 reported Monday.
Netanyahu wanted to join Trump on his visit to the Wall, which is unprecedented for a sitting president. The request reportedly was rejected, with U.S. officials saying it would be a “private visit” by Trump.
The coverage area of the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government asked for clarification following Berns’ reported remarks.
“The comments about the Western Wall were not authorized communication and they do not represent the position of the United States and certainly not of the president,” a White House official told JTA.
The comments came on the same day that the Trump administration’s new ambassador to Israel arrived in the country and immediately paid a visit to the Western Wall.
Berns has held his role at the Consulate since August 2015, according to his LinkedIn page.
all the trumpis on this website complained about Obama now you have what you sowed
Ignorant as the occupier of oval office
He’s been at the cosulate since 2015?
Another Obama holdover. I don’t know why he hasn’t been shown the door yet.
Not surprising that Mr. Bern is an anti-Israel Obama leftover, part of the “deep state” that is determined to undermine Trump’s presidency, and in this case to frustrate any pro-Israel change of policy on the part of the new administration. Yuck…this insubordination is intolerable and Bern needs to be canned immediately!
You are ” FIRED “
He looks like a real shmedrick!
A Jew? It would make sense, BDS is full of them.
As per Truman, the buck stops w the President. Dont blame Obama or people appointed by him. This disaster has Toxic Trumpf’s phony promises and inattention to policy all over it. Feh.
This is another jab at trump by the media who are at war with him and will use every way to ruin his presidency .
The other guy is also a State Department lacky.
To all the above posters who are claiming this guy is Obama’s appointee, Trump fires staff who he feels aren’t loyal to his “brand”. If Trump kept him on then Trump likes him and trusts him and his judgment .