Why Thomas Friedman Hates Israel

December 21, 2011 By 18 Comments

In this respect, when Friedman says he is showing Israel “tough love,” what he is really saying is that pummelling Israel into submission is justifiable, a means towards an end, that end being the ushering in of Friedman’s designs of “utopia.” Indeed for Friedman, pushing Israel to the brink is a “necessary evil,” as, in his view, doing so represents the first step in ending all evil. The problem is that his vision is delusional. The “peace process” has been exhaustively implemented for over 20 years. And it failed miserably. You cannot blame the Friedmans of the world for trying; rather, they can, and should, be blamed for not accepting that their two-decades-long efforts have made the Middle East less hospitable for Israel. The reason being, their expectations are detached from reality—utopia is a lie.

Friedman and his ideological counterparts have also taken to demonizing Israel’s “extremist” settlers—those who explicitly reject the “Land for Peace” paradigm. Friedman’s hit-list also includes the democratically-elected Israeli MKs who recently proposed legislation to clamp down on the foreign-funding of non-representative, subversive NGOs, and to impose a measure of accountability—that exists in all other democracies—on Israel’s Supreme Court. Additionally, Friedman shows particular disdain for Israel’s growing religious and Russian populations. The reason for this is that none of these cohorts share Friedman’s worldview, nor his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—they revile it. And herein lies the greatest irony of all: Friedman attacks these people not out of concern for Israel’s democratic character, but rather to protect the centrality of an unpopular, increasingly narrow segment of the populace, whose opinions continue to have a disproportionate influence over Israeli policy—his Left. The truth is that popular representation in Israel—Freidman’s purported aim—would entail the marginalization of his views. Therefore, by demonizing those—which together comprise the majority—who reject his ideology, Friedman’s attacks can only be seen as an attempt to circumvent Israel’s democracy, and not the other way around.

Friedman’s criticism of leading Republican presidential candidates serves the same purpose. For example, the fact that Newt Gingrich recently called the Palestinians an “invented” people is in reality anathema to Friedman. We know this because in his recent article he did not even attempt to justify or explain Palestinian nationalism, but rather sidestepped the issue by engaging in a tirade about how Israel is a “colonialist” entity. What really irks Friedman about Gingrich’s comment is that the Republicans are deviating from the status quo by infusing a modicum of truth into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This threatens the perpetuation of Friedman’s precious, albeit faulty ideals, which, in turn, explains his contempt.

According to Friedman, “I’m certain there are many out there like me…who are deeply worried about where Israel is going today. My guess is we’re the minority.…” And this is the crucial point. Friedman is indeed in the minority—not because other “Jews are drifting away,” as he claims, but rather because they simply do not share his opinions. Contrary to Friedman, most Jews are not afraid of the direction Israel is taking—nor are most of Israelis for that matter—as they agree with Israel’s present course, veering away from the “two state” solution.

The professional peace-processors, Friedman included, have failed—a reality now accepted by the majority. Nevertheless, the measure of a man is not whether he is right or wrong, nor whether he succeeds or fails, but rather his ability to recognize his shortcomings and move on.

Thomas & Co., with all due respect, it is time to move on.

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About

Charles Bybelezer is a Breaking News Editor at The Jerusalem Post.

  • http://www.resonoelusono.com/NaturalBornCitizen.htm Alexander Gofen

    The author (too) seriously and honestly examines the propagandist talking points of Friedman as though Friedman's position could have anything to do with the objective reality. Friedman represents the category of so called nothing-but-ethnic "Jews" in America akin to the infamous Soviet general Dragunskiy. (Dragunskiy was a show-Jew employed by Sovetskih for denouncing Zionism and Israel).

    The job of Friedman (ADL, and similar "friends" of Israel) is nothing but to deliberately divert the attention from the reality of the global islamic war on Israel and the West.

    • mlcblog

      Interesting. This has occurred to me from time to time also.

    • PhillipGaley

      Yes, "And this is where his elitism comes into play.". Thomas Friedman has no elitism, rather—if only to my eye—something about the similarity to NAZI scholars, his writing appears to be a product of Norse mythology, inevitably to "come up" with all of the half-baked and half-stirred, wrong answers because of weakness in psychological underpinnings.

      Also, "The job of Friedman"?
      To me, he appears as another of the kind of C. Hitchens type, who managed to carve out a living wage in controversial presentation—the source or rationale be damned—and for such controversy and criticism, the Joos becoming of a perennial substrate, . . .

  • SHmuelHaLevi

    Don Thomas is one akin to dinosaurs. The venemous types.
    We all certainly can go on and prosper w/o missing a wink if he is there or not.

  • mlcblog

    He acts toward Israel just as my brother does, condescending and hurtful, thinking he knows best for me, while all the time I have a life that he cannot or will not imagine. He is encouraged by his own intimidation and amused by his own cleverness, never checking in with other people who may have different views or with reality.

  • Elliott Alhadeff

    The author gives too much credit to Friedman's imagined integrity, that he as an agenday for "world peace." The only agenda dominating the "Friedmans" who rationalize criticisms of Israel by cherry-picking publicly reported irrelevant issues is fathfulness to the left that greases his palms. He's way too far entrenched and ideologically committed in anti-Israeli rhetoric to become, in even as single instance, favorable to Israel or to those who support its newly acquired rational of realism regarding future negotiations with Arabs who openly seek to destroy it as a nation and as a people.

    • Carl Sesar

      Friedman's integrity is indeed "imagined," as you say. But his ideological commitment to anti-Israel rhetoric is just as imagined. A visceral hatred of Israel, that's what his story is.

  • BS77

    He is NO journalist or objective reporter…no, he is another leftist propagandist with an agenda, and probably working orders coming directly from the establishment left…..i.e., maintain a continual, relentless campaign of writing to erode support for the nation of Israel , and the security of Israelis. Facts? Damn the facts. Keep up the lies. Friedman should be ashamed of himself….but, like they say, those who are truly brainwashed never know it.

  • Terry Traub

    Friedman spends much of his waking hours focusing laser-like attention on Israel, as though this one tiny country, a mere dot on the globe with only a few million population, is the source of all mankind's problems.

    The real reason for Friedman's hate speech is very simple: he's a member of a coterie of self-hating Jews that includes Chomsky, Soros, and a whole host of university professors. To prove that they are assimilated and not loyal in the slightest to the Jewish people, to gain acceptance by their fellow Left Wingers, they go out of their way to trash Israel (and, by extension, the Jews) whenever possible.

    That the New York Times gives this reprehensible man a regular outlet for his fringe ravings is merely more proof of that newspaper's long time bias. Even though many of its senior editors are New York Jews, the NYT has gone out of its way to downplay Jewish accomplishments, including and especially, the state of Israel.

    Fortunately, Israel is far too powerful and important to be damaged by these people. It is the one great ally of the U.S. in the Middle East, and in a world where we have few friends to begin with, we should at least be grateful for this one that has tried time and again to help us. Israel warned the U.S. about 9/11 months in advance; Israel warned the U.S. that Iran and not Iraq was the real regional threat. Israel shares its intel with the U.S. It's a one way street, especially when Democrats are in control, but even under the most friendly Republicans like Bush 2 and Reagan, Israel is dismissed as a troublemaker.

    Friedman should get a real job, and the Israel haters who support him (and there are a lot of them, to judge by the credulous, gushing comments on his columns) should get an education, or else move to a country that agrees with them, such as Saudi Arabia or Pakistan.

  • steven l

    He must know better!

    • joe

      his favorite country is cina clean nonaggressive and abundantly free

  • crypticguise

    Very simply, Friedman is a friend of IslamoNazis. He supports those who would DESTROY Israel and the Jews. Friedman may have been born a Jew, but I suspect he is a Muslim IslamoFascist sympathizer.

    After all his conversion to Islam would be simple.

  • geoplaten

    I think it's your view that has it backwards, Mr. Bybezeler:

    Friedman knows the Palestinians are the USSR. He just thinks Israel – ie the US – should lose the Cold War; this would redeem his being on the losing side of the true Cold War.

    Friedman and his ilk are sick twisted people. They love their own perverse ideas; they can't bear to look at reality as it exists, for it completely repudiates all of their ideas.

  • Jim

    Way too much pipe weed Mr Friedman

    • ProudInfidel12

      Not everyone who smokes weed thinks the way Friedman does. Some can maintain their sanity while toking away! Just sayin'

  • Anamah

    Respecting Jewishness Friedman has a polluted mind. He has lost any possibility to perceive the truth and reality. Little sample to taste it all Progressives alike.

  • kashaman

    The Jews have solved the problems of life for centuries with religious faith, group solidarity, and a better attitude toward outsiders than any other culture. We are the competion that irks all the idealists, from the ancient Greeks to the “community organisers. Hitler himself admitted he hated Jews because the Jew attempts and often succeeds at living by the Holy Torah, which teaches morality and altruism in a realistic way. Few others are so honest.
    By playing up any (imagined) shortcomings, the intellectuals and journalists create “news” and “research” of the “man bites dog” variety while smearing the competition. It’s a sound career decision. Happy Chanukah, with all that implies.

  • george a. way jr.

    when the blind lead the blind only "fools " follow" ( proverbs 8 : 34-36 ) , we are but dust and not really very good at that either !!!!!!!