On Tuesday, in the New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman, syndicated columnist of the New York Times, authored a lengthy column attacking Israeli policy in Gaza. The column was a near-comprehensive cavalcade of well-dressed neo-left talking points, and as such, gives us a great opportunity to put a few of those myths to bed.

That’s Just Not True

First, credit where it’s due. Mr. Friedman’s column may very well be the most absurd sentence of 2025 (thus far). Writing this week, the perennial Israel detractor listed a handful of the latest antisemitic incidents around the world and then asked, “So why is the world ganging up on Israel only now?”

Hang on. We know you’re shocked (shocked, I tell you!) to learn that Mr. Friedman essentially blames Israel for the current rate of worldwide antisemitism. But let’s set aside the victim-blaming so that we can more easily just go ahead and reject the entire premise.

Worldwide Jew-hatred has not suddenly increased “now.” We won’t bother listing all the stories and statistics that had to be ignored to formulate his offending sentence, but ultimately, Mr. Friedman’s thesis is absurd on its face.

It was only a matter of days – if not hours – after the 10/7 Massacre that Hamas’s supporters around the world began their (now going on two years long) antisemitic frenzy.

Israel’s efforts to free the hostages and destroy Hamas were a reaction to the 10/7 Massacre. Paying lip service to that reality, while failing to accept the necessity of the ensuing war as well as the challenges associated therein, exemplifies how so many so-called “elites” are in fact nothing more than “Iran’s useful idiots.”

That’s Just not Gonna Happen

Mr. Friedman’s column goes on to both check the “two-state solution” box and (nearly) acknowledge it’s a fantasy all in the same short sentence, “The P.A. has recognized Israel and could, if reformed, be a partner for a two-state solution.” [emphasis added]

A lot of things, “if reformed,” could be fundamentally different from what they are, but that’s a big “if,” and the people of Israel should not be required to risk their lives on the chance that an entity founded by, led by, allied with, and supportive of terrorism, will “reform.”

Before Mr. Friedman’s decided it was time for his regularly recycled talking points on why Israel should commit suicide by giving its enemies the ability to rape, murder and kidnap more Israelis, CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman authored an op-ed fore Real Clear World in which she explains in the opening paragraph why fringe fantasies that 10/7 will become “Palestine’s” independence day are simply not gonna happen.

“After decades of indoctrinating Palestinian children with Jew-hatred, the Palestinian desire to erase Israel from the map has become a fact of life. As such, for current generations, there is no longer any space for serious discussion about a sovereign Palestinian state. The 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza was billed as “a test case for peace.” The Palestinians failed.”

That is Called the Fog of War

Friedman’s column came out on the heels of an Israeli strike that unintentionally killed 20 individuals. On the rooftop of Nasser Hospital in Gaza,  a camera  was being used to track IDF troop movements. According to reports, after hitting the camera with a tank shell, a second shell was fired.

Israel’s statement on the event is unequivocal and is what one would expect when a democracy makes a mistake:

“Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians. The military authorities are conducting a thorough investigation. Our war is with Hamas terrorists. Our just goals are defeating Hamas and bringing our hostages home.”

Nonetheless, Friedman and numerous others have/will use this tragedy to press their case opposing the war in Gaza. Here’s the thing: nobody wants the war.

The far left in the United States has completely taken leave of its senses. They know Israel is a democratic country whose people wish nothing more than to be simply allowed to live in peace, but those facts (all facts, really) are irrelevant when the mob has pulled out its pitchforks.

The Fog of War, that inability to engage in perfect communications and the like when the bullets and rockets are flying, is to blame for what happened at the hospital. And the war itself? Well, it was Hamas that invaded Israel on 10/7, not the other way around.

So, while Israel made a mistake and takes responsibility for it, circumstances of combat and the terror-induced combat itself are the reasons 20 people died in that strike yesterday. Likewise, Mr. Friedman’s position on the war, as well as that of his cohorts across the elite media, is no different today than it was six weeks ago or six months ago. As such, Israel will ignore this latest attempt to claim that errors in war undermine the justice of Jerusalem’s cause and keep working to bring her hostages home and destroy the terrorists who took them.

 Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund