Fake news Thursday: how Trump helps Israel

Today is Thursday. It's time for another fake-news report from Israel.

Today's report is about how US President Donald Trump has become--at least for now--Israel's best friend. Depending upon your political orientation, that statement might not surprise you. But the reason for that friendship may.

Here's the story.

Once upon a time, anti-Israel Americans loved how then-President Barack Obama 'friended' Israel. As Chief-Obama-Cheerleader Thomas Friedman put it, "the only question I have when it comes to President Obama and Israel is whether he is the most pro-Israel president in history or just one of the most" ("Israel's best friend," nytimes, March 6, 2012).

Since then, we've learned a few things about political friendships. For example, we've learned how fake Friedman's question was. Obama was no friend of Israel. He proved that in December, 2016, when he helped to promote the UN's most anti-Israel Resolution ever--and then ordered his UN Ambassador to refrain from vetoing it, thereby assuring its passage.

A friend doesn't do that to his 'best friend'. But a false friend will. A fake friend will use fake news (I'm your best friend) to create a fake friendship--and then stab the friend in the back.  

That's what Obama--with help from the likes of Thomas Friedman--did to Israel. 

Now there's a new President in Washington, DC. Will this new President do the same thing? 

He might. But right now, it doesn't look that way. For the moment, he's doing something Obama never did for Israel. He's helping Israel the way a best friend should.

True, the new President's method for helping Israel is unorthodox. It may also be unconscious. But it works.

I don't know if you've noticed, but over the last couple of months, since the beginning of March, 2017, the number of anti-Israel stories in the news appears to have diminished dramatically, compared to the same period last year. At least, that's what my unscientific assessment says. The reason for this welcome-if-unintended occurrence is Donald J.Trump.

Let me put it this way: in a highly competitive news industry, where readership/viewership numbers are everything, what do you think will attract more reader attention, a headline that says, 'We can impeach Trump Now', or a headline that says, 'Israel is Apartheid'?

'Israel is Apartheid' is old news. But 'Impeach Trump' (or some variant of that) is different. It's not just news. For many, it's exciting news.

Of course, an  'Impeach Trump' headline is fake news. The published rules for impeaching a US President do not include the political 'sins' Trump is accused of having committed. Nevertheless, these headlines are electrifying. They draw in viewers like metal filings are drawn towards a strong magnet. 

Surely you've noticed: the more shrill those anti-Trump headlines, the more quickly Israel-bashing gets forgotten. Put another way, the more politically titillating (I can think of no better phrase) the anti-Trump fake news becomes, the less interesting the anti-Israel fake news seems. 

America today is amazing. It may be the only place in the world where Trump-hate trumps Israel-hate. 

It's possible Donald Trump has nothing to do with this respite for Israel. This respite is driven by Trump-hate, not Trump. But I hope you realize this reduction of Israel-bashing in America is still Trump's doing. If he hadn't won the US Presidential election, you can bet Israel-bashing wouldn't be so quieted today. 

Trump's game is simple. He loves tweaking Leftist noses. He creates fake news that provokes a flood of anti-Trump fake news attacks. He then mocks the fakery--and the faker-makers. Incensed, faker-makers lash back, provoking the start of another fake news cycle.

This back-and-forth fakery is wonderfully amusing to one who lives so far from America. It's also a great relief. With anti-Israel Leftists dedicating so much time slandering Trump, few of them have the energy to slander Israel.

One can almost see a Divine Hand (or the Marx brothers) behind it all: a supposed 'buffoon' (Trump) elbows his way into an elitist pool party and splashes the 'fancy-pants' party-goers who can't stand to see their pants get wet. The result is chaos. 

Anti-Trump news outlets seem to find reason each day to be insulted by Trump's behavior. It's wonderful. The more insulted the news-fakers are, the happier we are in Israel. 

Fake news can damage Israel. But today, it protects the Jewish state from the world's biggest news-fakers. 

Thanks, Donald Trump. You're a real friend.