During Israel’s invasion of Egypt during the Suez crisis of 1956-1957, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower did not hesitate to defy domestic political pressures and censure Israel at the United Nations, withdraw agricultural aid, and threaten financial sanctions that put “Israel’s life… at stake.” Those measures worked to end an Israeli occupation and restrain Israeli attacks on civilians, and gave Washington prestige across the global south. The U.S. political mood changed swiftly after the ’67 war. But it could change back again in the wake of apartheid reports.
Haidar Eid performs the Simsimiyya as part of a collection of resistance songs from around the Arab World.
Friedman has written 19 opinion pieces in the New York Times since June, but only two about the Mideast, where he made his reputation, and then ruined it by enthusiastically supporting Iraq war. So he has avoided the pressing issues of Israel’s annexation and Trump/Pompeo’s threats to goad Iran into a conflict in the middle of the presidential race.