Prominent American author and pro-Israel writer Thomas Friedman sent a letter to President Donald Trump in which he expressed his admiration for his recent dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Friedman emphasized that this government is not an ally of the United States and is behaving in a manner that threatens American interests in the region.
In his column in The New York Times, Friedman addressed Trump, saying that his exclusion of Israel from his upcoming Middle East tour, as well as his independent negotiations with Hamas, Iran, and the Houthis, was a clear message that Netanyahu had no leverage over the US president. He indicated that this disregard undoubtedly panicked Netanyahu and his colleagues.
Friedman added that "the Israeli people still see themselves as a strong ally of the American people, and vice versa." However, he added that the current Netanyahu government is by no means a true ally of the United States, as it is the first government in Israel's history whose priority is annexing the West Bank, expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, and rebuilding settlements there, rather than achieving peace with its Arab neighbors.
In his letter to Trump, Friedman emphasized that it is a credit to him that Netanyahu has not allowed his actions to be controlled by him, as he has done with other American presidents. He emphasized the need to preserve the American security architecture that previous presidents built in the region following the 1973 war, which has continued to serve American geopolitical and economic interests, and which Netanyahu is currently seeking to undermine.
The American writer continued in his letter to Trump, saying, "This security structure was based primarily on an American-Israeli commitment to the success of the two-state solution, a commitment you yourself attempted to advance during your first term through your plan to establish a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, provided that the Palestinians recognize Israel and accept that their state be demilitarized."
He stated that Netanyahu rejected the US demands because Jewish extremists in his government threatened to bring it down if he did so. Netanyahu himself is keen to retain his position, which guarantees him political immunity and allows him to delay legal proceedings and avoid imprisonment, prioritizing his own interests over those of the United States and even Israel itself.
He continued in his letter that the worst may yet come, as Netanyahu prepares to invade Gaza with the aim of confining the Palestinians to a tight corner between the Mediterranean Sea and the Egyptian border. He is also accelerating the de facto annexation of parts of the West Bank, which will expose Israel to further war crimes charges, charges from which Netanyahu will demand that US President Trump protect him.
After Thomas Friedman harshly criticized Hamas, he said Netanyahu's plan does not aim to create a moderate alternative to Hamas in Gaza under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, but rather to create a permanent military occupation that would force Palestinians into forced migration, describing it as a new Vietnam on the Mediterranean coast.
Friedman addressed Trump, saying that Netanyahu's plans would inevitably threaten the stability of neighboring countries. He quoted Lee Hans Fixel, a former political advisor at US Central Command, as saying: "The more desperate the Palestinians become, the less willing the region will be to expand US-Arab-Israeli security integration, which could have yielded long-term gains against Iran and China, without requiring significant US military resources to maintain it."
Friedman addressed Trump, saying, "Mr. President, you have good independent instincts about the Middle East. Follow them, or you should prepare for this looming reality: Your Jewish grandchildren will be the first generation of Jewish children to grow up in a world where the Jewish state is considered a pariah state."