Appearing as a guest on Tuesday's Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, New York Times foreign affairs columnist Tom Friedman delivered some flaky analysis of the war in Gaza as he pushed for Israel to offer a "free pass" to Hamas terrorist leaders if they turn over the weapons and leave the country after releasing all their hostages. He even suggested that Israel might release Palestinian terrorists held in its prisons as part of the deal.
Discussing the current pause in fighting as Hamas releases hostages back to Israel, the liberal Times columnist declared that he hopes Israel does not resume the war:
...there's been a lot of talk about, Anderson, you know, "Are you for the ceasefire or not for the ceasefire?" and I'm hoping in the next few days that really morphs into a different discussion: Are you for an end of this? Okay, not just a ceasefire. Because you got -- you got, what, almost two million, you know, Palestinians in Gaza, you know, basically uprooted in a -- in a humanitarian crisis.
He continued:
It's just unimaginable for me that Israel is going to be able to, sort of, restart this war -- go after Khan Yunis -- take care of those people in a humanitarian way -- I think we really need to be talking about a conclusion. You know, maybe Israel says, "Look, you know, here's a free pass for all the Hamas leadership -- go to Turkey, go to Qatar -- whoever wants to leave, turn in your weapons, return the hostages -- we'll give the Palestinian prisoners a release.
After Friedman suggested that Israel get Arab countries to help put a new government in control of Gaza, host Cooper followed up by asking "what's in it" for Hamas to agree to such a deal, leading to the liberal columnist to suggest that Hamas actually cared about the civilian population before catching himself and admitting that they do not: "Yeah, I would just -- what's in it for them is that obviously the survival of the -- so many people in Gaza -- so many Palestinians whom they claim to represent. We know that they don't really care about them -- they never would have started this war --"
Cooper jumped into to remind viewers that Hamas wants Palestinians to be killed by Israel as part of the terrorist group's strategy: "Right, I mean, isn't martyring people -- isn't having civilians killed sort of part of their -- part of the plan?"
Friedman then talked about the possibility of Israel releasing all its Palestinian prisoners, and then undermined himself by admitting that "I don't claim to have any particular insight" about how Hamas might react:
Yeah, that may be, but I think that they're in a position now where they have visited so much destruction on their people for now so little. I think they have to in their own minds be thinking about, "How do we show something for this?" If they can pull off a giant release of all 6,000, you know, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails for the hostages -- a kind of all for all. At least they'd have something to show for that terrible destruction that they have invited on their population.
So I have a feeling they have to be thinking about a lot of this. This ceasefire probably wouldn't have lasted this long, Anderson, if all they were doing is just getting ready for the next round. But who knows? Maybe they are. I don't claim to have any particular insight, but it just feels like the chemistry around this story is changing...
Cooper predicted that he could not see Israel continuing its military campaign into the rest of the Gaza Strip, and cued up Friedman to talk up the push for new talks for a two-state solution.
Friedman put all the blame on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the "far right" for the lack of an agreement even though Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to meet with Israeli leaders almost continuously for the last 14 years.
Transcript follows:
CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
November 28, 2023
8:12 p.m. EasternANDERSON COOPER: Perspective now on where this truce might lead and what might happen if and when hostilities come to a longer-term end. Joining us for that, New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman. In addition to being a three-time Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, he's also the best-selling author of, among other titles, From Beirut to Jerusalem. So, Tom, I mean, after this massive bombardment, weeks of fighting, Hamas still in control in Gaza -- still able to be organized enough to hand over hostages they've taken. What does that tell you about the reality of Israel achieving its stated goal of destroying Hamas?
THOMAS FRIEDMAN, NEW YORK TIMES FOREIGN AFFAIRS COLUMNIST: Well, obviously, it's incomplete, Anderson, and I think some very big decisions are going to be -- have to be made, you know, by Israel if the hostage exchange expires. It sounds like Bill Burns -- our CIA director -- and his colleagues in Qatar are really looking for a way to buy more time and get hostages released in return for Palestinians in Israeli prisons. And, you know, there's been a lot of talk about, Anderson, you know, "Are you for the ceasefire or not for the ceasefire?" and I'm hoping in the next few days that really morphs into a different discussion: Are you for an end of this? Okay, not just a ceasefire. Because you got -- you got, what, almost two million, you know, Palestinians in Gaza, you know, basically uprooted in a -- in a humanitarian crisis.
It's just unimaginable for me that Israel is going to be able to, sort of, restart this war -- go after Khan Yunis -- take care of those people in a humanitarian way -- I think we really need to be talking about a conclusion. You know, maybe Israel says, "Look, you know, here's a free pass for all the Hamas leadership -- go to Turkey, go to Qatar -- whoever wants to leave, turn in your weapons, return the hostages -- we'll give the Palestinian prisoners a release. I think we have to really get out of this "ceasefire/no ceasefire" and think about something that gets Hamas leadership out there, puts in a new Palestinian leadership and partnership with Arab countries, gets reconstruction going, the World Bank. I just cannot imagine this going on for more months, and I can't imagine the United States and President Biden being able to tolerate that politically. So I'm hoping that's where this discussion starts.
COOPER: Why would Hamas's leadership agree to that? I mean, they're -- most -- a lot of them are holed up in, you know, in nice hotels in Doha, and even the ones in Gaza -- I mean, they are the ones who perpetrated this terror attack on October 7. What's in it for them in that beyond their personal survival?
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, I would just -- what's in it for them is that obviously the survival of the -- so many people in Gaza -- so many Palestinians whom they claim to represent. We know that they don't really care about them -- they never would have started this war --
COOPER: Right, I mean, isn't martyring people -- isn't having civilians killed sort of part of their -- part of the plan?
FRIEDMAN: Yeah, that may be, but I think that they're in a position now where they have visited so much destruction on their people for now so little. I think they have to in their own minds be thinking about, "How do we show something for this?" If they can pull off a giant release of all 6,000, you know, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails for the hostages -- a kind of all for all. At least they'd have something to show for that terrible destruction that they have invited on their population. So I have a feeling they have to be thinking about a lot of this. This ceasefire probably wouldn't have lasted this long, Anderson, if all they were doing is just getting ready for the next round. But who knows? Maybe they are. I don't claim to have any particular insight, but it just feels like the chemistry around this story is changing, and I think, as we approach the end of this ceasefire, and we contemplate a resumption of this war with the terrible human costs that would be with the uncertainty of victory for Israel. I think there's going to be some fresh thinking here. I sure hope there will be.
COOPER: Yeah, I mean, I don't understand how Israel goes in, as you said, Khan Yunis, and into the south where hundreds of thousands of people have been told to go. I mean, where did they, you know -- I talked to some weeks ago, and they said, "Well, they can go toward the sea." I mean, there's just not a lot of places to go. You've advocated in the past in columns that Israel has to pair military action in Gaza with a new commitment to a two-state solution with the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who seek peace with Israel. Have you seen any interest by Israeli authorities in that?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the current prime minister is -- Prime Minister Netanyahu -- has rejected the idea because his far right -- the members of his coalition -- the farthest right -- refuse to contemplate any kind of, you know, cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. But I think this is going to come back very soon because, if there is no Palestinian leadership -- a partnership in a transition in Gaza, then you're talking about Israel -- a country of seven million Jews -- controlling three million Palestinians in the West Bank and two million in Gaza. That's just unsustainable. And so I think you're going to see some fresh thinking on that as well, and it may have to be initiated by President Biden. But when I think of what can happen next, Anderson, the idea that Israel would resume the full-scale war against Hamas amidst two, you know, close to two million people already uprooted. I just can't see that happening for any length of time, and therefore I hope there will be some real talk not just about ceasefire/no ceasefire -- how do we end this in a way that produces a different government in Gaza? Because Israel is not going to live next to Hamas anymore, and the people of Gaza shouldn't have to live under Hamas anymore.
COOPER: Tom Friedman, thank you, appreciate it.
