Senate confirms Trump’s Israel envoy

— The Republican-led Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, ignoring objections from Democrats that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such an important diplomatic post.

Senators voted Thursday largely along party lines, 52-46, to approve Friedman’s nomination.

The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Friedman has been a fervent supporter of Israeli settlements, an opponent of Palestinian statehood and staunch defender of Israel’s government

Friedman, a combative attorney who once worked as Trump’s bankruptcy lawyer, generated strident opposition from many Democrats.