Thomas Pain | Belén Fernández

https://thebaffler.com/latest/thomas-pain-fernandez
#ThomasFriedman

#US / Thomas Friedman: "They are as indigenous to their biblical homeland as the Palestinians, no matter what ‘anticolonial’ nonsense they teach at elite universities"

There are so many silly things in Thomas Friedman’s column it’s difficult to choose a highlight. Maybe one indication he’s delusional in an old-fashioned colonial way would be this particular advice he dispenses to the #Trump administration, right after suggesting gifting Israel with even more bombs, now adding B-2s: “Recognize Palestinian right to self-determination while requiring them to develop credible, corruption-free leadership.” Thomas Friedman, clearly a genius, is asking the most corrupt regime in U.S. history to demand corruption-free leadership from the Palestinians.

Disregarding the colonial arrogance (the Palestinians’ right to self-determination is not dependent on Trump’s goodwill), but what about looking in the mirror first? When Friedman indulges in ideas like “coercive diplomacy,” he basically admits he’s an imperialist, or rather an imperialist wannabe. It’s a euphemism for imperialism, not a philosophy and not diplomacy. It’s the opposite of diplomacy, in fact. He says the U.S. has the right to dictate terms to sovereign nations, that American interests should drive regional solutions, and that military threats are legitimate diplomatic tools when used by the dominant power.

But the cherry on top is this:

[…] “But the Israeli Jews have no Belgium. They are as indigenous to their biblical homeland as the Palestinians, no matter what ‘anticolonial’ nonsense they teach at elite universities. Therefore, you will never out-crazy the Israeli Jews. If push comes to shove, they will out-crazy you.”

Never mind Friedman’s evangelical orientalism mixed with a familiar populist tone—I believe he was always an opportunistic coward—but maybe someone should remind him that Romania (where his grandfather was born) was never part of Palestine. Most of the Russian Jews who started exploring colonization in Palestine in the second half of the 19th century barely survived the first year, and most ran back home. So much for indigeneity, I guess.

But honestly, when I see him gushing over ideas Dennis Ross came up with, I’m thinking maybe it’s time the White House should hire fewer Jewish “special advisers,” negotiators, and envoys to the Middle East and add a couple of Palestinians to the mix? It’s becoming absurd.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Actually, I’m not sure why he’s using #Belgium and the #Congo as his reference point. Why not stick with #Britain? After all, they eventually left Palestine too. They also refused to implement the partition plan—or any plan, for that matter—that wasn’t acceptable to both communities: the Arab majority and the Jewish minority, which consisted mostly of non-indigenous people who had arrived in Palestine illegally.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/opinion/trump-israel-iran-war.html or https://archive.is/mS8Wv

@palestine
@israel
#Palestine #Israel
#ThomasFriedman