It's a sign of the intellectual unseriousness of the American "public intellectual" circuit that anyone cares, or purports to care, about what dilettante Coates thinks about Israel or Gaza. If I had the opportunity to interview him, the first question I'd ask is: there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of very smart Americans who have devoted their careers to understanding the Israeli-Arab conflict. There are tens of thousands who out of personal interest are extremely knowledgeable, having read many books, articles, and so forth on the conflict over many years. Many of these people speak Hebrew, Arabic, or both. None of this applies to you. Why, other than the fact that you are famous, should anyone pay attention to your views on this?
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