Tom Friedman is unmoved by all that has changed in the Middle East over the last three decades, invoking obsolete facts and incomplete history.In the latest of his self-referential columns, Thomas Friedman once again invokes the ugly, anti-Semitic specter of a nefarious “Israeli lobby” that uses Jewish money and votes to corrupt American lawmakers in order to mold U.S. policy to Israel’s benefit and American harm.In the latest of his self-referential columns, Thomas Friedman once again invokes the ugly, anti-Semitic specter of a nefarious “Israeli lobby” that uses Jewish money and votes to corrupt American lawmakers in order to mold U.S. policy to Israel’s benefit and American harm.
The New York Times' Thomas Friedman and Nicholas Kristof operate as a tag-team attacking the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. But on the Arab Spring, differences among the two have emerged.
As condemnation of the Jewish state in the media becomes more and more extreme, those leveling the charges are proclaiming themselves to be the true friends of Israel.Among the most disturbing claims in Tom Friedman's recent op-ed is his grossly offensive and false statement that the standing ovation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Congress was “bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.” Unfortunately, it is not the only falsehood in a piece replete with distortions and classic anti-Semitic canards.
The New York Times and like-minded media often cast Jewish settlers as violent extremists assailing peaceful Palestinians, even though West Bank Arabs have murdered at least nine times as many Jewish civilians as the other way around.A May 18, 2004 editorial in the New York Sun identifies in detail blatant factual errors by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in his May 13 column. The same writer's May 16 Op-Ed was further evidence of his penchant for distortion as he compared Jewish settlers in Israel to the violently radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and his Mahdi army.
Friedman admits he was wrong, sort of, about Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners during the tenure of Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas. But he maintains that Sharon was responsible for Abbas's resignation, a claim which Abbas himself refuted this week.