| Thomas Friedman's Got A Bug Up His A** About Israeli Settlers | |
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15 Jul 2005 @ 05:00, by Bruce Kodish
Elliot Chodoff from MiddleEastOn-Target.Com wrote an excellent piece on the delusions of Thomas Friedman of the New York Times regarding the upcoming Israeli disengagement from Gaza.
Wednesday July 13, 2005
6 Tammuz 5765
Friedman Unsettled
by Elliot Chodoff
"Thomas Friedman of the NY Times is, if nothing else, consistent: he never misses an opportunity to bash the residents of the West Bank and Gaza. In an op-ed in the NY Times today (“The Revolt of Israel’s Center,” NYTimes, published July 13, 2005) he argues that the Israeli population has finally had enough of settler extremism and is 'finally confronting them.' "
"But, as is all too often the case, Friedman has gotten it wrong."
"Israel’s very large political center has concluded that the Jewish settlements in Gaza are untenable not because the residents are fanatics or because they have no right to live there, but rather because Palestinian terrorists have made life in that area so precarious that the IDF has been unable to protect them effectively. Paradoxically, many of those in the center have a great deal of sympathy for the residents of the settlements, and reluctantly support the Gaza withdrawal as an unfortunate step required to attempt to enhance Israeli security in the war against Palestinian terrorism."
"Friedman’s branding of the settlers as “long-indulged children” who “are becoming unhinged” and “do not really respect the authority of the Israeli state” is as malodorous as it is inaccurate. Not only have these people shown incredible grace and forbearance in the face of the state’s plan to uproot them from their homes and destroy their communities, they have been at the forefront of the campaign to eject the extremists from their midst, while aiding the police and IDF in maintaining order."
"Friedman’s problem is simple: he uses the term settler as a synonym for fanatic. His claims that all the acts of extremism in the area are caused by settlers and his equation of them with Muslim suicide bombers is a crass attempt to besmirch a loyal and responsible population whose crime is that it agreed to pioneer settlements in remote areas at the behest of its government (Labor, not Likud). Having moved to these areas, built villages, homes and businesses there, and raised their families in them, the residents are being told that after 30 years the experiment has failed and they have to pay the price for it. To their credit, they have waged an extensive nonviolent political protest campaign to attempt to reverse that decision. Its failure reflects the Israeli center’s view of the situation, not of the settlers."
"We have recently expressed our opinion of the extremists’ behavior, (see “Deadly Tango,” Archives, July 1, 2005) and continue to believe that while protest is an inalienable right in a democratic society, there are rules of the game that may not be violated, and those who do so must face legal consequences. But Friedman’s condemnation of an entire population to suit his distorted view of Israel and its political alignments does not reflect an objective analysis of extremist actions; it represents his philosophically driven witch-hunt of anyone who resides in an area Friedman believes should be Judenrein."
Additional articles can be found at MiddleEastOn-Target.Com
©2005 Hamartzim Educational Services
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Category: Articles
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