Critics of Israeli action should think through their own solutions for preventing recurrences of invasions and massacres

by Roov Koret

Ahhh Thomas L. Friedman, another pontification from the fair-weather Jew-boy who wears his dubious attachment to his ethnic upbroinging as an entitle to piss yet again on the duly elected government of Israel. In his latest op-ed in The New York Times, the intrepid pundits traipses across oil-dripping Arab kingdoms and emirates, rubbing and massaging the potentates in a vain attempt to resurrect his bona fides. Let’s hold our noses as we unpack his sniveling veiled criticisms and fair-weather sympathies when his ilk want to burnish their liberal credentials by pooh-poohing Israel’s actions, especially in times of dire conflict.

Friedman’s naive and intellectually dishonest portrayal of the situation in Gaza, following his last junket to rich, safe, Arab states, presents a narrative that seems to lament the necessary harshness of Israel’s military responses. He expresses grave concern over Israel’s strategy to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure, framing it as a potential precursor to a larger humanitarian crisis. Yet, his whiny perspective, seemingly empathetic, overlooks the imperative context of Israel’s actions – its right and duty to defend its citizens against unprovoked, barbaric attacks and to deter future invasions and massacres from any quarters, let alone the five fronts it is currently fighting on.

Let’s be clear, unlike the mumbo-jumbo that is Friedman’s stock-in-trade: Israel’s response, including the pummelling of Gaza, is a direct and inevitable result of the massacres and mayhem perpetrated by Hamas on October 7. When a terrorist organization commits acts of unspeakable cruelty, as Hamas did by murdering, raping, and maiming over 1,200 people, and kidnapping 240 others, a nation not only has the right but the obligation to respond decisively. It has done so with admirable efficiency and concern for collateral damage, far beyond what Western countries, including and especially the United States, have historically done.

Limp-wristed, self-righteous critics like Friedman seem to forget that Israel’s retaliation is not an act of aggression but a response to aggression. They can’t deny completely, but they downplay. They equivocate. They rationalize. They lament. They are quick to bemoan the aftermath of Israel’s military actions, yet they offer no tangible alternatives. What, then, is Israel supposed to do? Sit idly by while its citizens are slaughtered? Allow a terrorist organization to continue its reign of terror unchallenged? Call it a day, pack up and go home? There is no alternative, Tommy boy. Yet you pretend there is, so you can continue to dribble your diarrhea.

The suggestion that Israel’s actions are exacerbating the situation is a ludicrous one-sided argument that conveniently ignores the root cause of the conflict: the refusal of Hamas and its ilk to accept Israeli’s existence. Israel’s goal is clear and unassailanble: to dismantle the Hamas terrorist infrastructure that has caused untold suffering to its people, and to the people of Gaza that Hamas routinely uses as human shields. The aghast critics, like Friedman, offer no viable solutions, no guarantees, not even any hopes that a future Palestinian entity won’t become a launchpad for further attacks against Israel.

It is facile and morally impotent to kvetch from the sidelines without offering a feasible plan. If the pundits and commentators believe they have a better strategy, let them present it. What is it, Tom? Will you erect your tee-pee of peace and tell Bibi what he should be doing, if he were privileged to be you and possessed your prodigious brain? Shall Israel trust Jew-in-name-only Deep State frat boys to guarantee the security and safety of its citizens? Let them move to Gaza or Ramallah for a year or two to ensure that any Palestinian governance won’t devolve into yet another terrorist haven. We’re waiting for that book, Mister Friedman.

Israel’s actions, under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu, are not only justified but essential. The nation is doing everything within its power to punish those responsible for the October 7 atrocities, to deter future attacks, and to prevent the recurrence of such heinous acts. It’s time the critics recognized the harsh and unavoidable reality: in a world where terrorism exists, strong, decisive actions are not only necessary; they are the only way to ensure peace and security.

We’re waiting for your better plan, armchair Tommy.