As it does often in the U.S., the weather in Jerusalem mirrored the Israeli attitude toward the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The on-and-off rainy weather, considered a blessing in Israel, was punctured regularly by strong spots of sun. The back and forth between sun and clouds echoed an Israeli public uncertain but generally optimistic about what the new Trump administration and recently announced Ambassador to the U.S. David Friedman would bring.

President-elect Trump first announced his pick on Thursday, January 15. He praised Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer and friend who advised Trump on Israel during the campaign, saying Friedman’s “strong relationships” would be valuable as ambassador to Israel and extolled Friedman as a “tremendous asset” for Middle East peace. Trump reasserted his commitment to ensure there was “no daylight” between his administration and the Israeli government.

In the U.S., much of the reaction among Israel groups fell along political lines. Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein said Friedman had “the potential to be the greatest U.S. ambassador to Israel ever.” The Republican Jewish Committee’s Matt Brooks said the choice sent a “powerful signal to the Jewish community and the State of Israel that President-elect Trump’s administration will strengthen the bond between our two countries.”

Jeremy Ben Ami, former Clinton White House official and founder of liberal Israel advocacy group J-Street, condemned the selection, calling it “anathema to values that underlie [the] U.S.-Israel relationship.” Friedman had previously declaimed the group as worse than kapos, the Jews who worked with the Nazis during the Holocaust.

On the streets of Jerusalem, the story was a bit different. Men and women of all ages expressed hope that the Trump administration and its new ambassador could bring the change the country desired.

Levi from Jerusalem, 40, considered himself “Oto Kivun,” roughly translated to “of the same mind,” as Trump. With a velvet yarmulke sitting askance on his head, he said he was not sure if the Trump administration would bring change to the Israel-Palestine conflict. He expressed optimism about Friedman, though, saying his strong support for moving the official U.S. embassy was a “good start.”

Even among the Clinton supporters, there was a positive outlook on the prospects for the new ambassador to Israel.

Kanah, also of Jerusalem, was intrigued by the prospect of change. She said that had she voted in the election, she would have chosen Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but with a heavy heart. Referring to Friedman’s charge that President Obama’s weak support of Israel in times of terror amounted to anti-Semitism, Kanah said the problem was more that the Obama administration treated the Middle East conflict as the be-all and end-all of its foreign policy. Although she expressed concern that Friedman might be too far to the other extreme, she was optimistic that any change could be for the good.

Curiously, Avi of Mesilat Tzion, 53, said that although he would have voted for Clinton, he felt Trump would be better for Israel. Acknowledging the flip, he added that Trump would be better for Israel because he was more daring than Clinton. Maayan, a 21-year-old candy shop clerk at the recently developed Old Train Station in Jerusalem, said she would have voted for Clinton but expressed strong support for Friedman’s positions, from his support for settlements to his harsh criticism of J-Street and other left-wing groups.

Beyond the cautious, Jerusalem had its unflinching Trump supporters as well.

David, a 30-year-old money changer originally from Amsterdam, barely hesitated before expressing his support for Trump over Clinton. He jumped around the glass-windowed desk to smoke and share his assessment that regardless of what the Trump administration did, Congress would uphold the U.S.-Israel relationship, before concluding that he believed Friedman would in fact be good for Israel.

Standing behind a phone repair booth in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem, Elad, 31, likewise unflinchingly expressed his support for Trump. He praised Friedman as well, highlighting Friedman’s support for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

This is not to say Trump and Friedman had no critics in Israel either.

One self-professed Bernie Sanders supporter, Ayah from Jerusalem, 36, predicted the worst for the Israel-Palestine conflict. Dressed in a long,sky-blue coat and wearing her black, bushy curls pulled back in a ponytail, she seemed fully immersed in the issues, referring repeatedly to the occupation of Palestine.

Based on what she heard about Friedman, she quipped, “I already hate the guy.” She caveated with a bit more than a note of cynicism that the Trump administration would at least be good for the Israeli defense industry and its weapons sales abroad.

By Ari Schaffer

 Ari Schaffer lives in Washington, D.C., and is originally from Teaneck, NJ. He previously worked as an opposition researcher focusing on foreign policy, defense and cyber security in the 2016 presidential election. Please follow him on Twitter at @arischaffer.