Will Israel succeed in its goal of eradicating Hamas from Gaza?
Can Prime Minister Netanyahu find a way to survive the catastrophe?
Has Israel permanently damaged its international credibility?
Thomas L. Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, has never pretended to be a seer. In fact, breaking from his normal optimism, he admits bluntly, “I have no idea how this ends. I’ve never seen it so broken.”
Still, no commentator is better poised to look through the proverbial crystal ball to glean the outlines of Israel’s future. Over the past 45 years, Friedman has interviewed thousands of citizens and politicians, actors and activists across the Middle East. He’s consulted with American presidents and Saudi princes.
And he’s broadcast his convictions and insights in thousands of newspaper articles, television commentaries and speeches — and won the Pulitzer Prize three times as a result.
Now, he’s returning to The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center to discuss his oft-expressed concerns about Israel’s invasion of Gaza, his belief that Hamas has traded the lives of Palestinian citizens to pull off a major PR coup and Israel’s lack of a realistic plan for “the day after.”
Friedman will be in conversation with Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson, Peter and Mary Kalikow Senior Rabbinic Chair.
MORE ABOUT MR. FRIEDMAN:
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, Foreign Affairs Columnist for The New York Times
Thomas Friedman is the bestselling author of The World Is Flat and a New York Times foreign affairs columnist. He is renowned for his direct reporting and accessible analysis of complex issues shaping the world. According to Foreign Policy magazine, “Friedman doesn't just report on events; he helps shape them.” The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, he has covered monumental stories from around the globe for The New York Times since 1981. With clear and compelling language, Friedman discusses the opportunities and challenges that “accelerations,” including technology and connectivity, present. He also explores solutions — on a local and global level — to ensure the future of work, skills, income, and prosperity.
He has written seven books since 1989 that have sold 10 million copies in 40 different languages. They include From Beirut to Jerusalem, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, The World Is Flat and, most recently, his bestseller Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, in which Friedman offers a blueprint for overcoming the stresses and challenges of a world being transformed by technology, globalization and climate change.
Friedman was featured in Showtime's climate change documentary series Years of Living Dangerously, executive produced by James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.