Ten days ago I referred readers to an insightful column by New York Times opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman. Yesterday his column, “Israel Is About To Make a Terrible Mistake,” was even more urgent. (Again, this link has no paywall.)
There will be no one to extract Israel and no one to help Israel pay the cost of caring for more than two million Gazans — not if Israel is run by a government that thinks, and acts, as if it can justifiably exact its revenge on Hamas while unjustifiably building an apartheidlike society run by Jewish supremacists in the West Bank. That is a completely incoherent policy.
Friedman closed with this plea:
The hour is late. I have never written a column this urgent before because I have never been more worried about how this situation could spin out of control in ways that could damage Israel irreparably, damage U.S. interests irreparably, damage Palestinians irreparably, threaten Jews everywhere and destabilize the whole world.
I beg Biden to tell Israelis this immediately — for their sake, for America’s sake, for the sake of Palestinians, for the sake of the world.
Please read and consider carefully what Friedman says. If I could say it as well as he has, I would have.
If only all the journos could write like this, Colorado .. Can you imagine what the world could be like if they all wrote utilising
correct information
genuine opinion
credible facts
accurate forecasts
etc.,etc. ?
No, you can’t. Nor me, mate – nor me.
It’s a lesson in how to write well and logically, about something complex and critically important. And it’s equally important that people read it and take heed.
Friedman has always been wrong about Israel. You have to be lost to think Palestinians want a state. They want seven million dead Jews-the same thing Hamas wants.
Friedman plays you democrats so easily.
Friedman of course is right. Emotion is what powers wars, always has. The sinking of battleship Maine in the Spanish American war, Pearl Harbor, the “domino effect” spiked fear that led to the Vietnam war. It is so much easier to start wars than to end them.
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Yes, even I can see that the Middle East is a huge pile of firewood needing just one more spark …
I agree. Friedman explained what’s happening in Israel better than all the analyses I’ve read.
I regret that I’m almost out of non-paywall gift links (I hope it’s a monthly allotment) from NY Times. Friedman’s columns are coming faster than I can keep up with them and I’m trying to share the best of them.