Oren Slams Friedman Over ‘Bought’ Comment
Israeli ambassador Michael Oren said New York Times columnist Tom Friedman “strengthened a dangerous myth” when he said Congress was “bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.”
“This allegation is profoundly disturbing,” Oren told JTA. “The term ‘Israel lobby’ implies the existence of a Zionist cabal wielding inordinate economic and political power. Unintentionally, perhaps, Friedman has strengthened a dangerous myth.”
Friedman’s Dec. 13 column outlined concerns he said he shares with other American Jews about Israel’s direction.
He listed a number of anti-democratic indicators, but it was an aside in which he warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take seriously standing ovations he enjoyed during his address to Congress last May, saying the applause “was bought and paid for by the Israel lobby,” that sparked outrage.
A number of Congress members decried Friedman’s allegation, and Oren said Friedman missed the real admiration Israel has in the body.
“The twenty-nine standing ovations that Prime Minister Netanyahu received from both Houses of Congress, and from representatives of both parties, reflected the deep support of the American people for the State of Israel,” Oren said. “That commitment is not – and never has to be – purchased.”
Oren, who called Friedman “an internationally acclaimed columnist who frequently writes about Israel and is often critical of its policies” said the Netanyahu government was “sensitive for the concerns of American Jews” and is “committed to maintaining the strongest possible connection between the Jewish state and the Jewish communities in the U.S. and around the world.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
