JERUSALEM

Israel is now a “big brother” for the Jewish people around the world, U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman said on Wednesday.

“We in the diaspora need to give Israel a break,” Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Friedman as saying at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America held in Tel Aviv.

“Israel is no longer the little brother; Israel is the big brother now. It has the biggest Jewish community,” he added.

The U.S. envoy went on to describe himself as a “security hawk and an unapologetic right-wing defender of Israel”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America on Wednesday.

A staunch backer of Israel, Friedman has made frequent statements in support of Israel’s longstanding policy of Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.