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Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman is a Jerusalem-based columnist for The Free Press. He’s the author of four nonfiction books, of which the most recent is Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai.
MattiFriedman
Qatargate Roils a War-Weary Israel
Qatari money is like fingerprints that appear when an ultraviolet light turns on. Few expected it to turn up in Israel itself.
Matti Friedman
The Life and Death of the Oldest Hostage in Gaza
Shlomo Mantzur fled Iraq as a child. He tried to never look back. Then came October 7, 2023.
Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman: The Family that Never Came Home
The deaths of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas were too unbearable to believe. Israelis couldn’t accept it until we had no other choice.
Matti Friedman
Hamas Murdered Their Son. What Do They Think of the Ceasefire?
Parents of slain Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin talk about the hostage deal, Israel, and the future of the Middle East.
Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman: Israel’s Prisoner’s Dilemma
To free its people, Israel negotiates with terrorists and releases murderers. Is that a strength or a weakness?
Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman: As America Votes, Israel’s Crisis Deepens
Bibi’s ouster of his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, sent Israelis pouring into the streets in protest. The opposition leader called the move an “act of…
Matti Friedman
Sinwar’s Death Will Hasten the End of the War
The Hamas leader started this fight. Now Israel can finish it.
Matti Friedman
Can Israel Win Back What October 7 Took?
The choice to clear out an entire part of the country will be remembered as one of the most fateful decisions of this war. Matti Friedman reports from…
Matti Friedman
Is This Mysterious Text the Most Ancient Hebrew Book Ever Discovered?
Found in a cave in Afghanistan, the parchment dates to between 660 and 780 CE. Soon, it will be on display at the Museum of the Bible.
Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman: When We Started to Lie
I watched as the goal of mainstream journalism shifted from describing reality to ushering readers to the correct political conclusion.
Matti Friedman
Among the Mourners of Zion and Jerusalem
Here in Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s neighborhood, the bewildering events of the past year were reduced to one human face. Matti Friedman writes from…
Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman: Whiplash in Israel
Is Israel a shambolic society torn by internal dissent—or a superpower capable of stupendous military feats? This week it’s both.
Matti Friedman
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