One Word Solution to Israel's Gordian Knot

Israel has more than its share of Gordian Knots - Jewish state in an Arab world; demographic issues with Israeli Arabs; security issues with Palestinians (if not Shi'a and Sunni radicals elsewhere as well); reconciling democracy in a religious state; the problem of the ultra-Orthodox; how to make the most durable and tasty laffa; and many more.

Recently, however, I've heard/read the same answer to one of the most intractable Gordian Knots (yes, that was redundant) in two different places over the past few weeks, so let's expand on it a bit.

The problem is explaining Israel's relationship with the outside world. The answer, offered by Newsweek this past week and current חייל בודד Bombs over Maghdad during a late-Friday night conversation a few weeks back, is one word: freiers.

Newsweek takes the Holocaust approach - not unreasonably. BoM took a general cultural approach, arguing that nothing is worse for your street cred in Israel than being seen as a freier - sucker. This goes beyond Barak balking in 2000, helps explain the disproportionate response in Gaza, and might explain why Sadat got killed (he was Egyptian, not Israeli, but seemed to be operating under the same paradigm).

What is perhaps most interesting to me (and, perhaps, belongs in the academically irrelevant category - which might be why I like it) is the extent to which this freierphobia (let's see if that word can catch on better than שבולימ"ה) helps explain Israel's relationship with America and American Jews. If they rely on us to much, they're פריירים in their own eyes. Because we spend money like we control the world's journalistic, entertainment, and political apparatuses (hey - stereotypes are based on something, no?) and support Israel even against its better interests, they see us as פריירים too - and we have no credibility in their eyes.

The next time I can't figure out why Israel or Israelis are doing something, I'm going to try the freier hypothesis and see where it takes me - you should too (or would that make you a פרייר?).