Editing Thomas L. Friedman (section)

===Israel===
Friedman has been criticized by organizations such as [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] for defending Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon as a form of "educating" Israel's opponents; according to FAIR, Friedman was explicitly endorsing terrorism by Israel against Lebanese and Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/terrorism-on-the-new-york-times-op-ed-page/|title=Terrorism on the New York Times Op-Ed Page|date=January 14, 2009|website=Fair.org|access-date=April 18, 2013|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031639/https://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/terrorism-on-the-new-york-times-op-ed-page/|url-status=live}}</ref> Journalist [[Glenn Greenwald]] and professor [[Noam Chomsky]] also accused Friedman of endorsing and encouraging terrorism by Israeli forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2009/01/14/friedman_7/|title=Tom Friedman offers a perfect definition of "terrorism"|first=Glenn|last=Greenwald|author-link=Glenn Greenwald|website=Salon.com|date=January 14, 2009|access-date=April 18, 2013|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031626/https://www.salon.com/2009/01/14/friedman_7/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chomsky.info/articles/20090119.htm|title="Exterminate all the Brutes": Gaza 2009|website=Chomsky.info|access-date=November 24, 2009|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031625/https://chomsky.info/articles/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Political reporter Belen Fernandez heavily critiques Friedman's commentary regarding Israel. Among other criticisms, Fernandez singles out Friedman's suggestion that Israeli forces were unaware that their allied [[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese militias]] carried out the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre]] while under their guard, contradicting the assessments of other journalists and observers; his encouragement of strong-armed force by the Israeli army against Palestinians; and his opposition to [[Israeli settlement|settlements]] only on the grounds that they are counter-productive, rather than because they violate [[International law and Israeli settlements|international law]] or cause suffering for Palestinians. Fernandez suggests that Friedman is most worried about successfully maintaining Israel's Jewish ethnocracy and actively opposing a "one-man, one-vote" system of democracy.<ref>Fernandez, Belen. ''The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work''. Verso Books, 2011, p 99-107</ref>

Friedman has also come under criticism from supporters of Israel. In an op-ed, Yitzhak Benhorin criticized Friedman's alleged suggestion that Israel relinquish territory it had occupied in the 1967 Middle Eastern War.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028408,00.html|title=Go figure Tom Friedman|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=February 14, 2011|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031624/https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028408,00.html|url-status=live|last1=Sherman|first1=Martin}}</ref> Friedman sparked criticism for writing that congressional ovations for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were "bought and paid for by the [[Israel lobby in the United States|Israel lobby]]."<ref>Thomas L. Friedman: [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=1 Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322100547/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=1 |date=March 22, 2015 }} ''New York Times'' December 13, 2011.</ref> A letter from the [[American Jewish Committee]] objected that "Public opinion polls consistently show a high level of American ... support for and identification with Israel. This indicates that the people's elected representatives are fully reflecting the will of the voters."<ref>[http://blogs.jpost.com/content/new-york-times-columnist-tom-friedman-crossed-line New York Times Columnist Tom Friedman Crossed a Line] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103070852/http://blogs.jpost.com/content/new-york-times-columnist-tom-friedman-crossed-line |date=November 3, 2013 }} ''Jerusalem Post,'' December 19, 2011.</ref> Friedman responded to criticism by writing: "In retrospect I probably should have used a more precise term like 'engineered' by the Israel lobby – a term that does not suggest grand conspiracy theories that I don't subscribe to."<ref>[http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/20/3090840/friedman-sorry-for-bought-and-paid-for-jab-at-congress Friedman responds to criticism over ‘bought and paid for’ jab at Congress] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418202933/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/20/3090840/friedman-sorry-for-bought-and-paid-for-jab-at-congress |date=April 18, 2012 }} JTA, December 20, 2011.</ref>

Friedman hailed the Trump-brokered [[Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement|peace agreement]] between [[Israel]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] as "exactly what Trump said it was in his tweet: a 'HUGE breakthrough.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/512125-trump-seeks-to-build-campaign-momentum-with-middle-east-deal|title=Trump seeks to build campaign momentum with Middle East deal|first=Ian|last=Swanson|date=August 16, 2020|website=The Hill|access-date=September 9, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060306/https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/512125-trump-seeks-to-build-campaign-momentum-with-middle-east-deal|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2023, as the Netanyahu’s government proposed new laws leading to judicial reform intended to limit the powers of Israel’s [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]], Friedman wrote an opinion piece supporting the Biden government’s changing diplomatic approach toward Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/opinion/netanyahu-israel-judiciary.html |title=The U.S. Reassessment of Netanyahu's Government Has Begun| last=Friedman |first=Thomas L.|website=[[The New York Times]] |date=2023-07-11 |access-date=2023-11-05 }}</ref> Following the outbreak of the [[Gaza war]], Friedman urged Israel against military over-reach and further settlement expansions, saying to do so otherwise would risk destabilizing the region and the US-Israel alliance.<ref>{{cite news |author=Thomas Friedman |date=2023-10-27 |title=Israel: From the Six-Day War to the Six-Front War |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/opinion/israel-gaza-palestine-war.html |work=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Thomas Friedman |date=2023-10-19 |title=Israel Is About to Make a Terrible Mistake |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/opinion/biden-speech-israel-gaza.html |work=New York Times}}</ref>