Thomas Friedman: US has bigger problems than Israel
However Friedman, apparently assuming the fiction of 'equal' Israeli and Palestinians, overlooks a few important aspects:- Israel is the occupier and the Palestinians are the occupied, and Israel has defied numerous UN resolutions (more than Milosevic, Saddam and Iran ever did)
- the financial support for Israel has maybe been more than 10000 times the financial support for the Abbas regime
- Netanyahu has been elected and thus represents an apparent majority of Israeli voters, while the Palestinians have little to say - in this case this argument would turn against Israel
It shows again the vileness of Friedman.
Neil van der Linden.
Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thomas Friedman: US has bigger problems than Israel
By JPOST.COM STAFF12/12/2010 11:35
'NY Times' columnist to Israel, Palestinians: Don't take US support for granted; US should get out of picture so Netanyahu, Abbas can see better.
Talkbacks (55) New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote yet another piece highly critical of Israel, the Palestinians and the peace process on Saturday. The renowned journalist and author who was once the Times correspondent in Jerusalem and Beirut, claims that the US has larger problems than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Friedman wrote, "They just don't get it: we're not their grandfather's America anymore. We have bigger problems." He listed budget cuts to local fire departments, schools and education, local government spending and stimulus spending in the US that "could be the worst in a generation."
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The Times columnist listed the woes of the US economy in order to slam Israel for not immediately accepting the incentives package Washington offered it in exchange for a three-month settlement freeze extension last month. He said to Israel: "When America, a country that has lavished billions on you over the last 50 years..." and "asks you to halt settlements for three months to get peace talks going, there is only one right answer, and it is not 'How much?' It is: 'Yes, whatever you want, because you’re our only true friend in the world.'”
To the Palestinians, Friedman was only slightly kinder. He derided Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for not accepting the two-state deal offered to him by former prime minister Olmert, and now setting new conditions for negotiations. He warned the Palestinians that the Chinese will not put the same pressure on Israel to make peace as the Americans are, so they should take whatever opportunities are presented at the moment.
Additionally, the columnist acknowledged the domestic difficulties faced by both Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but claimed that both are too comfortable with the status quo in order to change it. He declared, "There are no Abe Lincolns out there."
Friedman wrote that the United States should disengage from the conflict so that "Israelis and Palestinians can see clearly, without any obstructions, what reckless choices their leaders are making."
Quoting an Israeli philosopher's description of what the region would look like should the two-state solution be completely abandoned, Friedman said that only if the US get out of the picture, both peoples and their leaders would have "an unimpeded view of their horrible future together in one state, if they can’t separate."
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Friedman wrote, "They just don't get it: we're not their grandfather's America anymore. We have bigger problems." He listed budget cuts to local fire departments, schools and education, local government spending and stimulus spending in the US that "could be the worst in a generation."
RELATED:
Thomas Friedman: 'Netanyahu thinks he can fly'
To the Palestinians, Friedman was only slightly kinder. He derided Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for not accepting the two-state deal offered to him by former prime minister Olmert, and now setting new conditions for negotiations. He warned the Palestinians that the Chinese will not put the same pressure on Israel to make peace as the Americans are, so they should take whatever opportunities are presented at the moment.
Additionally, the columnist acknowledged the domestic difficulties faced by both Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but claimed that both are too comfortable with the status quo in order to change it. He declared, "There are no Abe Lincolns out there."
Friedman wrote that the United States should disengage from the conflict so that "Israelis and Palestinians can see clearly, without any obstructions, what reckless choices their leaders are making."
Quoting an Israeli philosopher's description of what the region would look like should the two-state solution be completely abandoned, Friedman said that only if the US get out of the picture, both peoples and their leaders would have "an unimpeded view of their horrible future together in one state, if they can’t separate."
| More about: | Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Thomas Friedman, Mahmoud Abbas |
Quotations
Never take the same road twice - Ibn Battuta, 14th century Moroccan Berber traveler, philosopher, medic, theologian
Man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it - Chinese Proverb
I want to pour water into hell and set paradise on fire, so that these two veils disappear and nobody shall any longer worship God out of a fear of hell or a hope of heaven, but solely for the sake of God's eternal beauty -
... Rabi'ah Al-Adawiyya, 8th century woman saint from Basra, Iraq
1 opmerking:
Twee maten en twee gewichten in Israël
Het Holocaust-museum in Jeruzalem heeft een eerste cursus over Holocaust voor Palestijnse docenten afgerond en stootte op begrijpbare weerstand van de cursisten.
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