'Today’s Israel is in existential danger’: Thomas Friedman slams American leaders

“The Israel we knew is gone, and today’s Israel is in existential danger,” warned Thomas Friedman, a prominent opinion columnist for The New York Times, in his latest op-ed. He sharply criticized both Israeli leadership and American political figures for their handling of the current crisis.

In his column, Friedman, an American Jew, argued that Israel was in greater danger than ever, facing a multifaceted threat from Iran and its regional allies and proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Shiite militias in Iraq. According to Friedman, Israel's military and diplomatic options were currently inadequate to address these threats.

He warned of the possibility of a war on three fronts—Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank—with Hezbollah's precision missiles posing a particularly dire risk to Israel's infrastructure. "Hezbollah in Lebanon, unlike Hamas, is armed with precision missiles that could destroy vast swaths of Israel’s infrastructure," he stated.

Friedman sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of prioritizing personal survival over national security due to his ongoing corruption charges. “Netanyahu has to stay in power to avoid potentially being sent to prison,” Friedman stated. He claimed that Netanyahu's alliance with far-right extremists had exacerbated the situation, leading to a fractious government incapable of formulating a coherent strategy for ending the conflict in Gaza.

Direct criticism of Netanyahu's handling of government and war

"Netanyahu sold his soul to form a government with far-right Jewish extremists," Friedman asserted, highlighting the prime minister's controversial political maneuvers.

Furthermore, Friedman condemned American political leaders, including President Biden, AIPAC, and members of Congress, for their failure to recognize and address the radicalism of the current Israeli government. “Not President Biden, the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, nor many in Congress have come to terms with just how radical this government is,” he wrote. He highlighted the recent decision by House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican colleagues to invite Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress on July 24, a move Friedman suggested was intended to sow division among Democrats and sway American Jewish voters towards Donald Trump.

“Pushed into a corner, the top Democrats in the Senate and the House signed on to the invitation,” Friedman noted, criticizing the political maneuvering behind the invitation.

“They have done so much damage already,” he wrote, lamenting the lack of accountability and awareness among American leaders.