Sometimes when it comes to Israel, you need another opinion
When one writes articles that are on occasion critical of Israel, one is rarely excluded from receiving some hate mail. Some of it is fairly innocent, in the shame on you category; others often accuse of being an anti-Semite or a self-hating Jew depending on the readers take of one’s religious preference. You do sometimes earn censure from more auspicious places. One of our articles once engendered an attack from an ex-member of the Knesset. It can be a little wearisome, and the odd comment or response in praise of the article does do much to assuage that. However, when one reads an editorial by Israeli Professor, Carlo Strenger and quoting New York Time correspondent Tom Friedman saying the same thing, it helps one’s perseverance to keep exposing the facts regardless of the slings and arrows thrown at one. This editorial, ‘The World is sick of Netanyahu’s lack of policy’ , needs little more as a means of introduction. It is though worthy of a read and serious consideration as a view from Israel’s left-leaning intelligentsia.
Even Israel’s friends no longer buy these excuses for doing nothing except build a few thousand more apartments in the territories.
Tom Friedman, probably the world’s most famous columnist, is Jewish; he’s not particularly left-leaning, but closer to being a liberal hawk. Except for the small minority of Jewish Republicans nobody on earth thinks that he is against Israel.
In his column on Sunday in the New York Times Friedman voiced his distaste for the farce that is called Israeli politics. His advice to the U.S. administration is “Let’s just get out of the picture. Let all these leaders stand in front of their own people and tell them the truth: My fellow citizens: Nothing is happening; nothing is going to happen. It’;s just you and me and the problem we own. Indeed, it’s time for us to dust off James Baker’s line: ‘When you’re serious, give us a call: 202-456-1414. Ask for Barack.’ Otherwise, stay out of our lives. We have our own country to fix”.
Friedman’s analysis is simple: he thinks that the current Israeli government believes that we can have peace without leaving the West Bank and that the Palestinians haven’t made up their mind whether they accept Israel’s existence or not.
I share Tom Friedman’s sentiments. I too feel sick and tired, and his plan may be sound from from the American perspective. But I am worried. His advice to the U.S. administration primarily serves the Netanyahu government. If you were to ask Netanyahu what he covets most, the answer would be that he wants Obama and Mitchell off his back. After all, the only policy he has formulated is to remain in power without an overt break with the U.S. If the U.S. administration indeed backs off, this government can last for quite some time.
The world is sick of Netanyahu’s lack of policy – Haaretz – Israel News
