| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| NYT's Thomas Friedman: Third intifada is already underway |
| 2014-02-05 |
| [Jerusalem Post] Israel is already facing a third intifada, influential New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman claims in an article published on Wednesday Tom hasn't had an original insight in a couple decades. He wrote a book about the Six Day War that was pretty decent, but since the 90s he's been nothing more than a travel guide with predictable anti-U.S. sentiments glued on. He's perfect for the Times. Writing from Ramallah, Friedman states, "Being here, it's obvious that a Third Intifada is underway. It's the one that Israel always feared most -- not an intifada with stones or suicide bombers, but one propelled by nonviolent resistance and economic boycott." No mention made of "nonviolent" Qassam rockets. Friedman contends that the leaders of this uprising are not even Palestinians, saying that this intifada is led "by the European Union in Brussels and other opponents of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank across the globe. Regardless of origin, though, it's becoming a real source of leverage for the Palestinians in their negotiations with Israel." Smart of him to first identify the usual suspects. The Times columnist points out that US Secretary of State John Kerry already exposed this threat when he recently warned that a campaign to boycott and delegitimize Israel threatens to gain momentum if peace talks fail. Friedman also noted that Israel is correct to see some boycott campaigners as finding a new guise for anti-Semitism. However, he emphasizes that ignoring foreign trends and opinions by continuing building in the settlements is not the way to go about things. His opinion, not mine, and possibly not yours. Moreover, Friedman remarks that current calls by Israel for measures of security may be falling on deaf ears as this intifada employs a "strategy of making Israelis feel strategically secure but morally insecure." He brings up how historically when Israel felt its security threatened, the Israeli public felt no regret fighting back as in response to rocket attacks from Gaza after unilateral disengagement. However, in situations where Israel has achieved security, as in after pushing Egypt out of Sinai and surrounding the 'third army' in 1973, Egyptian diplomacy moved Israel to feel morally insecure with its gains. "Morally insecure".....with guilt ridden surrender to follow, the ultimate goal. Friedman warns, "This incessant trashing of Kerry by Israeli ministers, and their demand that Palestinians halt all "incitement" [terrorism and murdering] -- but that Israel be free to keep building settlements in their face -- is not winning Israel friends in Europe or America. It is only energizing the boycotters." Where would they be today without their European friends eh ? The moral argument here, as best as Friedman makes it, also convinces most Israelis that it's best to go it alone as much as they can -- if their friends are going to be fickle and desert them, then so be it. Israel will not hand itself over. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #5 The American Jewish community might consider voting for the Pubs the next time around. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-02-05 14:57 |
| #4 Let us call this one 'The Obama Intifada' |
| Posted by: airandee 2014-02-05 11:46 |
| #3 Wonder how his beloved Chinese Communists would deal with the Paleos? Ask the Uighers |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-02-05 10:27 |
| #2 Fair point. The folks in the U.S. (like our entire government and "intellectual" class) who think that a third intifada would be more effective than the first two because the Paleos will try a new strategy forget that Israel too is free to try new strategies. Tom Friedman apparently thinks that the Israeli response is written in stone. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2014-02-05 10:18 |
| #1 And these time around we'll show them what we've learned. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-02-05 09:18 |