Israel and U.S. Jews: The View From Jerusalem

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/opinion/israel-and-us-jews-the-view-from-jerusalem.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Israel to U.S. Jews: You Just Don’t Matter” (column, July 12):

Thomas L. Friedman claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has burned bridges with American Jews. Never mind that he just ordered the accelerated expansion of a pluralistic prayer space at the Western Wall and has consistently demonstrated his passionate commitment to strengthening Israel’s relations with Jewish communities around the world.

Mr. Friedman claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu “is setting himself up to be a pivotal figure in Jewish history — the leader who burned the bridges to a two-state solution.” Never mind that the Palestinian leadership turned down repeated offers for statehood, has refused to meet for direct negotiations for nearly a decade, pays terrorists hundreds of millions of dollars each year and continues to call for the disappearance of Israel.

Mr. Friedman claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu used “manipulation” in showing President Trump a video of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. Never mind that the video shows Mr. Abbas himself encouraging violence saying, “We welcome every drop of blood spilled for Jerusalem.”

Lastly, Mr. Friedman claims that “runaway Jewish nationalism threatens to meld Israel with the Palestinians in the West Bank.” Never mind that the Palestinians could have had a state of their own in 1937, 1947, 2000 or 2008; instead, they continue to prefer trying to destroy our state rather than build their own.

DAVID KEYES, JERUSALEM

The writer is a spokesman for Prime Minister Netanyahu.