The United States' new ambassador to Israel said Friday that he has never visited an Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria and had no plans to do so, in an effort to avoid inflaming tensions.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
When asked in an interview with Israeli Hebrew-language media outlet Ynetnews whether he would make such a visit, Thomas Nides said, "I absolutely will not."
"Just like I ask both the Palestinians and Israelis not to take steps that inflame the situation, I don't want to do things intentionally that would create disrespect or anger among people," he continued.
"I'll make mistakes. I'll say things that will aggravate people… But I don't want to intentionally anger people," he added.
Nides arrived in Israel in November following a lengthy confirmation process due to opposition from Senate Republicans.
In explaining his approach to the position, he said that he has no ideology "when it comes to Israel."
"All I care about is that Israel will remain a strong, democratic, and Jewish state," he told Ynetnews.
The ambassador noted that he continues to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"A solution that [US] President [Joe] Biden, of course, supports, my support for the well-being of the Palestinian people, all of this stems from the belief that Israel will be strengthened this way," Nides continued.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Nides clarified that Biden's support for the two-state solution is "in actions, not just words."
"Does this mean that we will renew the peace process tomorrow? No," he said. "We care about the fate of the region, but we do not raise expectations that something will be able to happen tomorrow."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
