The Free Press
Honestly with Bari Weiss
The Free Press in Israel Part 1: Running Toward Fire
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The Free Press in Israel Part 1: Running Toward Fire
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What happens when a country has to ask its citizens the unthinkable: What are you willing to die for? 

It’s a question that feels so outside the current American experience. When was the last time you asked yourself, What would I do if I had to fight for my home, my family, my nation?

When the citizens of Israel were confronted with the worst disaster imaginable, what emerged was a level of civic obligation, duty, and sacrifice that they themselves didn’t think they were capable of.

Today, Part 1 of The Free Press in Israel: Running Toward Fire.

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I just finished listening. A very emotional episode. The only thing missing was showing the other side. There were just as many demonstrators for the government than those opposing the government. Netanyahu’s attempts to move Israel from a socialist country to a fully democratic one is not an easy task. He describes in his book how he had a lot of people against him when he moved israel into a capitalist economy. The country is full of startups and innovators because of this. It’s put Israel on the map as one of the richest and successful countries. The Abrams Accords probably wouldn’t have happened if Israel didn’t have all this to offer. Unfortunately Bibi’s attempt to democratize the judges wasn’t taken well. He offered to negotiate but no one would give him the time of day. He became a pariah. Nothing he said was worth listening to. I was in israel during these rally’s. I walked on Dizengoff Street while they marched. It became a social activity every Saturday night. I didn’t see any violence just a lot of traffic and public transportation disruptions. My expectation after October 7 would be that everyone would be against the present government as I was for letting something like this happen. According to Caroline Glick it’s actually the opposite. The polls show that the majority of people are with Natanyahu. It would be nice if you spoke to people who actually supported the government. A lot of these people died fighting in this war. Unfortunately. They should have a voice as well.

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Wow. It's as if you gave a portrait of America by interviewing a couple of Ivy-League professors, Ezra Klein, Thomas Friedman and a member of The Squad. All that was missing was the word "deplorables". For an organization that prides itself on telling the "untold" story and showing multiple sides of an issue, you're failing abysmally when it comes to Israel.

That said, your support of Israel and your retelling of these stories, as well as things like the interview with Lucy Aharish, are appreciated.

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