Crying Over a Weeping Friedman

Thomas L. Friedman is weeping ("Holding Up Arab Reform", Dec. 16) because the publication of the third Arab Human Development Report is being delayed due to a U.S. demand that its prologue, critical of Israeli occupation and the American invasion of Iraq, be rewritten.

Friedman belittle's the prologue but he is being disengenuous. That introduction assigns the primary responsibility for all that needs reform in the Arab world at Israel's doorstep. It is biased, unfactual and academically unprofessional.

And if Friedman excuses it "to give political cover to the Arab authors", then he is need of reform himself.