American ‘Experts’: Listen to Ordinary Israelis First
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Thomas Friedman
Photo Credit: Yori Yanover
I am not one who thinks that only Israelis have the right to comment about Israel. After all, I’m an American and I write about it all the time. But I do think that foreigners should at least pay attention to what Israelis think when forming their opinions, and even more so when proposing ‘solutions’. After all, Israelis are the ones who suffer the consequences of outside meddling.
Can there be a worse example than Thomas L. Friedman of the NY Times? Recently he wrote,
Israel’s friends need to understand that the center-left in Israel is dying. The Israeli election in January will bring to power Israeli rightists who never spoke at your local Israel Bonds dinner. These are people who want to annex the West Bank. Bibi Netanyahu is a dove in this crowd. The only thing standing between Israel and national suicide any more is America and its willingness to tell Israel the truth. [emphasis in original]
It’s hard to imagine a more arrogant attitude! For Friedman’s information, Israel is a democracy, and if right-wing politicians are elected, it is — gasp — because Israelis voted for them. And probably the single most important issue driving votes today — not the only issue, by any means, but the most important — is security.
Israelis have finally realized what a bill of goods they were sold in 1993, when they were suckered into the Oslo agreements. They experienced the Second Intifada, and the results of the ill-advised withdrawal from Gaza. Most of them now understand that security does not lie in surrendering territory near Israel’s population centers to those who want to kill them.
They also are coming to understand that they don’t have to allow antisemitic Europe and Saudi-influenced America to to define the borders of the Jewish state and its capital. Some even believe that the 19-year Jordanian occupation of Judea and Samaria, including eastern Jerusalem, did not magically render these areas forbidden to Jews. And the fact that “Palestinians want these areas for their future state,” as we constantly read in news reports, is not an argument for giving them up.
Friedman and other ‘friends’ of Israel believe that they know better, recycling the ideology of the Israeli Left that Israelis themselves have rejected out of harsh experience. They are either ignorant of reality, or their objective is not that Israel should survive and thrive — but something else.
Visit Fresno Zionism.
tell a friendAbout the Author: Vic Rosenthal created FresnoZionism.org to provide a forum for publishing and discussing issues about Israel and the Mideast conflict, especially where there is a local connection. Rosenthal believes that America’s interests are best served by supporting the democratic state of Israel, the front line in the struggle between Western civilization and radical Islam. The viewpoint is not intended to be liberal or conservative — just pro-Israel.
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Thomas Friedman, in my opinion, wrote his latest article supporting Chuck Hagel, at the urging of President Obama and was contacted by someone on the President's behalf.
It has nothing to do with the vital interests of Israel.
In fact it has nothing to do with the vital interests of the US as it will make negotiating with Iran impossible.
Why would Iran stop it's nuclear weapons program when it's getting the message with Hagel's nomination that they can go ahead with it?
Please contact your Senator to ask them to vote no on Hagel.
And maybe Israeli "experts" will stop telling Americans and particularly American Jews on how to vote and think and then we can all allow the 'other guy' to make his/her own decisions. Friedman is just a mirror image of some Israeli columnists who also believe they are endowed with divine guidance. Oy. enough already,