U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Thursday that he had been misquoted in an Israeli report. According to the report, Friedman had warned that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas could become irrelevant if he keeps shunning the United States as a Middle East peace broker.
In a Twitter post, Friedman clarified that the U.S. was "not seeking 'to replace' Abbas and that it is for the Palestinian people to choose its leadership."
He also retweeted an apology from the Israeli publication that interviewed him.
Israeli reports had quoted Friedman as saying that if Abbas refuses to negotiate, "I am sure somebody else will" and that "vacuums tend to be filled."
Palestinian officials had criticized the comments as interference in Palestinian affairs.
Abbas suspended ties with the U.S. after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's official capital in December. Palestinian anger toward the U.S. has threatened the prospects of a U.S. peace plan being drawn up by the White House.
Earlier this month, Abbas described Friedman as a "son of a dog" due to the ambassador's close ties to Israel's West Bank settler movement.
