Israel: a “noble mistake”? There are those in the mainstream media who attempt to spread this notion, emphasizing that the now 60-year-old nation was a flawed concept from the beginning. Daniel Pipes firmly disagrees. He says Israel is a tremendous success in every quantifiable area, from its economy to its freedoms to its scientific advancements to its cultural uniqueness. “The trouble Israel has,” says Pipes, “is that its neighbors don’t accept it.”