henry hyde is retiring. he will be gone after the next election in november. build the fence the way you need to in order to protect israel. that is the number one priority.

Henry Hyde is at best mildyl favorable towards Israel. And he is retiring after this term.As for Bob Novak, I don't even know where to start. The only way you could call him a staunch supporter of Israel is if the only other choice was Adolph Hitler.

This article lost all its credibility when it refered to Novak as a staunch supporter of Israel. Novak,a born Jew who converted to Catholocism, is one of the most anti Israel American alive today. He never misses an opportunity to bash Israel.

Bob Novak is not a "staunch supporter" of Israel. Everyone here knows that he has been anti-Israel for decades. According to Bob Novak, Israel can do nothing right, & is responsible for just about everything. His latest is blaming Israel for the fact that Christians have been steadily leaving Bethlehem since the PLO returned.

This gentleman is apparently living in a dreamworld. Robert Novak has never said a positive thing about the State of Israel in his entire life. In fact, Novak is probably the greatest Israel basher among American columnists (or at least second only to Pat Buchanan).

Prior to accepting US foreign aid, Israel had some independant pride. Now it is a banana republic at best. Israeli interests will continue to be subsurviant to Arab oil in the eyes of the American industrial complex. When a Jew bends down, the world expects him to bend down further. When a Jew stands tall, the world expects him, and admires him, for standing taller. If Israel really desires to emulate America, it should follow its lead, not with the pursuit of the mirage of the American dream, but with the firm American way of being concerned about its own welfare over everything else.

Like judge heshin said about barak, you would prefer to feel righteous and moral over saving Israeli lives

Ynet needs to actually get journalists who check their facts as commentators. Robert Novak is not a staunch supporter of Israel. He is a paelo conservative, a branch a conservatism lead by anti Semite Pat Buchanan. He believes any conspiracy theory out there on Zionist control of the US government. He is an enemy of the Israel and Jews. He opposes the security fence because he opposes Israel's right to exist at all.

Christians in the holy land are Palestinians, and many Muslim Palestinians were either Jews or Christians but converted to Islam. All are the sons of God, and that guy in the congress shouldn’t try to categorize the Palestine people as Christians and non-Christians because they are just Palestinians living on their land but under the Zionist occupation which is the only total occupation that exists in this world. If the Christians of Palestine weren’t Palestinians the Israeli occupying army wouldn’t prevent them from going to their holy places in Jerusalem and Nazareth as well. Palestine should be for ALL, and the only thing has no place there is the occupation and its racist and discriminating policies and crimes. http://www.amconmag.com/2004_05_24/article.html

Christians interpret 'the spirit' of their biblical commands in the same way Jews interpret the Torah: Israel's fence can be likened to the commandment against divorce. Even the most stringent Christian interpretation of the commandments governing marriage would grant the physically abused spouse 'a separation' from the abusive spouse. Most Christians realize that God does not insist that we remain vulnerable to physical harm in relationship with a physically abusive mate. Our physical safety is first and foremost. Likewise with Israel's fence. Spiritual justice weighs the safety considerations above other considerations.

Thanks Hyde but we need action and soon before they take all our lands in the name of 'defense'

Novak is one of the biggest anti semites and most anti israeli journalists in all of america. for the author of this article to indicate otherwise demonstrates the author has no knowledge of the subject and should be immediately fired. paul almond

The true Christians of the Middle East are the Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriac Orthodox/Maronites. They are the descendants of the original Aramaic people that lived in the Middle East from Abraham's time (Abraham was from Paddan-Aram which is modern Beth-Nahrain/Kurdistan) until now. They refused to become Arabicized like all of the Muslims and so-called Palestinian "Christians" who consider themselves Arabs rather than Aramean Christians. Palestian "Christians" are a disgrace to Christianity. 'Isho Mshiha (Jesus Christ) was a JUDEAN!

And I always thought he was a Polish anti-Semite, until I found out that he was a Jewish convert to Catholicism type of anti-Semite. He is about as friendly to Israel as is Pat Buchanan or David Duke. Why do I get this nagging idea that this opposition to the fence is actually an endorsement of the bi-national state and dismantling of Israel? And please, don’t bring Jesus into this, he was a Jew, died a Jew and he never converted to anything else.

I would assume you preferred it when all of the synagues in the Old City were destroyed and gravestones used by the Jordanians for latrines. I would assume you approve of the Muslims building mosques atop the Temple Mount. I would assume that you support the destruction of Joseph's Tomb. I would assume that you are a Jew-hating piece of shit, but think of yourself as a really, really good person who cares so very, very much about the poor Palestinians who blow up Jewish children.

How is that giant concrete wall called "a fence"?? I guess we would've called the much smaller Berlin Fence, if it was built by Israelis.

want to live next to people like that WITHOUT a big tall fence? I think not.

And these Arab Christians feed them with lies because they will be killed if they dont by their Muslim neighbors. They are not allowed to say the TRUTH-that Israel does treat them well but the Muslims kicked them out and are continuing to do so! Ofer-where the hell do you live. Dont you know this? NOVAK IS NOT A SUPPORTER OF ISRAEL. HE IS AN ISRAEL BASHER! OFER DIDNT YOU KNOW THIS???? ARAB CHRISTIANS ARE PERSECUTED MY MUSLIMS. ISRAEL IS NOT THE IMPEDIMENT FOR THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. OFER-SAY SOME POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT ISRAEL-THAT IT IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST THAT THE CHRISTIAN POPULATION IS RISING AND THEY HAVE MORE FREEDOM THAN ANY WHERE ELSE.

"Novak is a staunch supporter of ...Israel. " Ofer and YNET should be more careful now that YNET is accessed by Americans. Novak is notorious for hating Israel and supporting the so-called Palestinian cause. Hyde is a suburban Illinois Catholic and in no way represents US Evangelicals who are much more upset by the de-Christianization of Bethlehem by the PLO than they are about any Israeli policy.

It's only concrete in certain sections. The rest is a true fence. Keep your Palestinian propaganda to yourself.

He is no friend to Israel and is a lukewarm Bush supporter at best.

While "Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriac Orthodox/Maronites" may be indigenous to Syria, that argues only for their ethnicity, not their Christian origins. In fact, your acknowledgment that you look to a Judean through the lens of the 4th-century Hellenist Roman counterfeit-image confirms that the origins of the Christians you cite trace back to the Hellenist idolatry of the 4th-century gentile Roman Church, NOT to the pre-135 C.E. Jews who followed the 1st-century Pharisee Ribi who was a Jew, NOT an Aramaean or Syrian. (BTW, before Avraham lived in Padan-Aram, he was, originally, from Iraq - neither of which has anything to do with Christianity.) Paqid 16, The Netzarim Israeli Orthodox Jew www.netzarim.co.il

We could've done it a long time ago, you should be happy we didn't and you should understand why we didn't as well. Try using all of your brain cells at once and think why we do what we do. Then think about all the nukes and bombs we have and think if we could or not.

You have a vivid imagination, being able to extract all of that from #9. The Christians of these lands are being prevented to exercise their freedom of religion in terms of visiting holy places in Palestine by a Zionist and racist Israeli government under the pretext of security. A blanket ban for nearly all Palestinian Christians as a form of collective punishment. How these facts turn into an infantile accusation of Jew-hating and condoning suicidebombing speaks more of your rethorical and analytical abilities then anything else.

Dear self-loving Zionist, your thinking methodology reflects how brain washed you are. The “state” of Israel brain washing efforts are directed at the first place towards its “citizens” because it is needed that all of them think the same way, behave the same way, hate others the same way, love ourselves the same way ..etc. That is because the Israeli leadership knows very well the way the Zionists in Palestine became what so called “people” is just fake! Nations can’t be created by a colonial political decision as what happened with “the Israeli people.” I am Jewish myself, but I will never understand how a Jew from Ethiopia or Iran is from “my nation.” Judaism is not a race, and Jews aren’t a nation! Judaism is religion and religion is belief and not blood relation. My fiancé used to be Christian and few years ago he converted to Judaism, isn’t he Jew?! Well he is, but he doesn’t have to kill Palestinians to prove so. You Zionist settlers need to start using your minds instead of your SASA… www.stopthewall.org

Israel defense policy is right. Israel is a sovereign nation and does not need to get the approval or support of any foreign country pertaining to her internal affairs. It does not matter what the Roman Catholics in Congress say about Israel defense policy. The fact is since Post-Apostolic time, the Roman Catholics have always been anti-Jews and anti-Israel. They led out the persecutions of the Jews during the Dark Ages all the way down to the Holocaust of the Jews in WWII. And now they continue to support the enemies of Israel. Hence, what the Roman Catholics say is meaningless. Israel should be grateful that America was founded by the Pilgrims who fled the persecutions of the Roman Catholics during the Dark Ages. America is a Judeo-Christian nation. America does not share the Roman Catholic ideology of persecuting the Jews. Because of her Judeo-Christian faith, America saved the world in WWI, WWII and other wars since then. America is the Beacon of Democracy in the world. And Israel is the Beacon of Democracy in the dark world of the Middle East. America and Israel share common moral and religious values, that is, honoring and worshipping the GOD of the Holy Bible. And GOD blesses the nations that honor Him.

Everyone is free to practice their religion. No one is free to kill innocents. Religion can be practiced in local mosques and churches. Security is not a pretext. Security is a human right for everyone, including Jews. If our security is threatened, it must be restored.