ArcaMax

Professional leftist Greta Thunberg was brought to Israel this week after the "selfie yacht" she was traveling on attempted to break through a naval blockade of Gaza. Her boat, the "Madleen," was part of a flotilla pretending to deliver aid to alleviate an imaginary famine.

The 22-year-old was given food and shelter and sent home by the Israeli government, which she accused of "kidnapping" her. All the usual suspects went along with this predictable framing.

If Thunberg really wanted to better understand the concept of an abduction, she might have asked Hamas to visit the Israelis still being tortured in a dank basement somewhere in Rafah. But the "human rights activist," which is how the legacy media unironically describes her, has never once called for the release of the hostages taken by Islamists. Indeed, the flotilla effort was reportedly organized by a "Hamas operative."

"(The Israelis) tried to make us watch all kinds of propaganda videos," Thunberg told reporters after landing in Paris, "but I didn't watch. This is nothing compared to what is happening in Gaza, which is in desperate need of humanitarian aid." Referring to GoPro videos made by Palestinians that document the gleeful slaughter of women, children and the elderly as "propaganda" is a bold accusation coming from a cosplay revolutionary whose biggest problem was getting a vegetarian meal from her hosts.

As this was all going on, incidentally, Israel has been sending hundreds of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip. Hamas opposes this effort, as it uses food and aid to control the Palestinian population. The day after Thunberg whined to reporters in Europe, at least eight aid workers were murdered by Hamas trying to bring food to the population.

The real question is: Why is she in the news at all?

Thunberg was named Time's Person of the Year in 2019 after dropping out of high school and "raising awareness for climate change." It was quite a historic accomplishment. No one was talking about global warming before Greta came around, apparently. Me? I tend to think the kid who stays in school and learns a thing or two about biology before lecturing me about science is the real hero. But we live in a time where emotionalism and vapidity are often confused with decency and wisdom. Thunberg is the embodiment of this trend.

Thunberg's most infamous moment was a frivolous emotional outburst at the United Nations, where she screamed at those who had bequeathed her with unprecedented wealth, safety and freedom: "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words," she claimed. But really, her dream was to be famous. Or, maybe, it was first the dream of exploitative parents who persuaded their child that the world was on the precipice of Armageddon.

Since her Time magazine cover, Thunberg has achieved nothing. Her native Sweden has turned back to fossil fuels. Europe, as well. The Earth, however, is still here.

Subsequently, Thunberg has moved on to champion other trendy leftist causes, such as Black Lives Matter, and now "Free Palestine." The only thing she understands less about than climate science seems to be the Middle East.

As far as I can tell, Thunberg has never once said anything remotely compelling or witty or smart. There are millions of young people far more worthy of attention. For years, youth shielded Thunberg from criticism. Even now, journalists fail to ask her a serious, in-depth question about the issues she champions. The chances she could answer one are incredibly slim.

Well, Thunberg is now a young woman, and so we can freely point out that she's always been an extraordinary imbecile. But now, she's also a useful idiot for terrorists. For that, there is no excuse.

========

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books -- the most recent, "The Rise of Blue Anon," available now. His work has appeared in National Review, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reason, New York Post and numerous other publications. Follow him on X @davidharsanyi.

----

Copyright 2025 Creators Syndicate, Inc.