Thomas Friedman: For Trump, Hamas and Bibi, It Is Always Jan. 6

[brooklynite]

New York Times

There are many ways to understand what is happening today between Hamas and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel, but I prefer to think about it like this: They are each having their own Jan. 6 moment.

Just as a mob was unleashed by President Donald Trump to ransack our Capitol on Jan. 6 in a last-ditch effort to overturn the election results and prevent a healing unifier from becoming president, so Bibi and Hamas each exploited or nurtured their own mobs to prevent an unprecedented national unity government from emerging in Israel — a cabinet that for the first time would have included Israeli Jews and Israeli Arab Muslims together.

Like Trump, both Bibi and Hamas have kept power by inspiring and riding waves of hostility to “the other.” They turn to this tactic anytime they are in political trouble. Indeed, they each have been the other’s most valuable partner in that tactic ever since Netanyahu was first elected prime minister in 1996 — on the back of a wave of Hamas suicide bombings.

No, Hamas and Bibi don’t talk. They don’t need to. They each understand what the other needs to stay in power and consciously or unconsciously behave in ways to ensure that they deliver it.

The latest rerun of their long-running nasty show is happening now because both were staring at an amazing breakthrough shaping up between Israeli Jews and Israel Arab Muslims — and, like the pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, they wanted to destroy the possibility of political change before it could destroy them politically.

[The Magistrate]

1. Friedman Is Right, Sir

Expect to see porcine aerobatics by noon, mind, because that does not happen often, but here he has nailed this, no question.

[11 Bravo]

5. I wish I could rec this just for the "porcine aerobatics" reference.

Very nicely put, sir.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

2. Explaining that Hamas is equal to the role of the PM...

seems like a trap. John Oliver said that the Palestinians don't vote for Hamas like they are in a co-op voting for board members.

The blatant abuse of war powers and terrorism against the woebegotten, godforsaken Palestinians isn't what we (Americans) list as our number one concern, but many of us are haunted by the repetition of the atrocities.

[brooklynite]

3. Hamas is effectively the Governing structure in Gaza

And the point isn't that they are or are not a Governing body. They are a political/military entity with an interest in preventing an Israeli Government including both Jews and Arabs.

[Hekate]

4. Tom Friedman is a very observant man....

My husband and I were talking about this yesterday, only from the standpoint of “who the hell does this profit?” because we could see the shape of the nasty back and forth, but without benefit of Friedman’s depth of knowledge.

DH is in some anguish about these events: as he says, Israel as a modern nation was born the year after we were, and we are watching an arc that could bring about its self-destruction in our own lifetimes.

And for what? As in the US, for the meanest of reasons.

Here’s hoping

[McKim]

6. False Equivalency

There is a prevalent and mistaken idea that there is a false equivalency between Israel and Palestine. Actually Israel is the proportionately much stronger force with nuclear weapons and a well equipped police state against Palestinian small rockets and rocks thrown by youth. They are not equivalent.

[malaise]

7. Correct