Culture  Yair Lapid
So calm down already
Yair Lapid
Published: 14.08.06, 09:16
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31. It's the oil, stupid.
gloomus ,   usa   (08.14.06)
...but maybe this small defeat is better than a Phyrric victory. What if the Hez in its bunkers, with its Russian weapory, had suceeded in seriously damaging your army? Your enemy will of course strut and crow, but does it go in Henry the 5th? Fluellen: " if the enemy is a fool , an ass, and a prating coxcomb..." Me, if I was in your boots, and sooner or later we'll all be, I'd be drumming my fingers thinking about how to deprive Iran of its oil. No oil, no money to spend on dangerous toys for dangerous little thugs. Good luck, Israel.
32. Lapid also means its ok to forget!
ilana   (08.14.06)
Where were you Lapid while our soldiers were being rescued from the stench of Lebanon and brought to our hospitals under fire from T E R R O R I S T S?!! Sitting in Tel Aviv? I fel safe to wager you were not davening in shul three times a day. You want calm? Your writing betrays your leftist attitude! Many of us will remember this "conflict" as follows: 1 The most disorganized and poorly executed mission in the history of Israel. 2 The most inept PM and governing body in Israel in its history. 3 A PM who was the most inept puppet of the US Government and their agenda. 3 Soldiers who believed their leaders and gave their all, thinking they were protecting Israel from the enemy, when in fact, they were lead by the enemy from within. 4 Soldiers who are in foreign places under the watchul eye and brutal acts of the enemy (if alive) who may never again read from a sidur, live as a Jew or even as a human being. I will read EVERY NAME as I daven. Do you remember the name of even one who was kidnapped or slaughtered by the maggots crawling around in caves just north of you, Lapid? To sum this up; I will remember this "conflict" to be a proxy war for the US agenda. Two leaders who were wiling to sacrifice our people to gain more power, money and oil - mostly power. May G-d forgive the "leaders" - I won't. Yes, its okay to forget. As of now, I have wiped the names and faces from my mind of the apathetic Israelis and Americans who sacrificed our people for self-interests and without blinking an eye. Now, Lapid, do Israel a favor. Get the hell out of the Holy Land!
33. ALL IN THE FAMILY LAPID??
ilana   (08.14.06)
What can we expect from a "journalist" whose father was a political leader who S U P P O R T E D the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Gaza? His father sad to say was a Holocaust survivor, yet turned to secular life and spent his career fighting A G A I N S T religious Israel. SO, why are we giving him any response at all? Go back to your luxury in TV and write another secular book or pose in another movie or speak your rhetoric on radio. WE do not appreciate your comments here, especially in view of the holy soldiers who died trying to save your "secular" arse.
34. Unbelivably Shallow Read
Khalil A ,   Manama-Bahrain   (08.14.06)
If you were to ask me the question who is worse off today; Lebanon or Isreal in the aftermath of the OPERATION, i would have to say yes Lebanon. There is also a very high probability that your syrian comment is true, the one about desperatly wanting to strke Israel. But what you have failed to realize, is that the image that you depend on so much; the only democracy in M.E., free country, high standard of ehicalism, the persercuted, is slowly but surely being eroded. Go to the CBS news you will see an unprecedented number of Americans that feel you could of done more to save civilian life, and other polls that show that the unequivocal support you recieve is, though unhurriedly is starting to deteriorate. Yes sir you are survivors, Yes you are stronger, Yes you are better orginised, etc,etc,,,, but what a way to live, waiting for the next operation, because the next operation is inevitable.
35. That's it exactly:
Eli Reuven ,   Newton USA   (08.14.06)
"Israel’s wars were never fought to resolve conflict." Well, there you have it. Silly me, I thought that wars were extreme political behavior in which the goal was to win. I guess wars are just games, you know, something that we do every once in a while just for fun or because we're angry or just bored. It's no wonder that the killing goes on. And on. And on.
36. The IDF Didn't Lose...
Erik   (08.14.06)
It's just that the post-Zionist govt. of Kadima didn't allow it to win. That is the frustration and ultimate tragedy of this war that wasn't. Had Olmert and his gang been in charge in any of the other previous wars there would probably be no Israel to speak of today. Hezbollah didn't win, but it bought itself another day until, I pray, that a Zionist party takes charge in Israel.
37. Beyond the Hysteria - the reality / Root Cause & Fixes
Mark ,   San Fran USA   (08.14.06)
Yair, You are pretty thoughtful and introspective. I think the main thing which matters about this battle is that largely due to how we entered and reacted late, there remains much unfinshed business that will come back to us probably soon, and possibly with greater harm to us. I pray not, but Hezzbollahs success means we will likely see a larger problem sooner than later. No WMD - no chem bio were used yet, but this is the unspoken problem - now that missiles and RPGs are shown to be a viable strategy against us, they will beef up efforts at getting more of the same and better of the same RPGs and missiles. This is not an easy problem to address properly. Back in years long past, Israel had tactical superiority. With significant help from better military technology - superiority in fact. This is not being explored upon sufficiently, nor fast enough. Too much navel gazing, finger pointing and anguish. In a battle against a missle armed militia, we need anti missile weaponry / defense - equipment and strategies. We need some laser based defenses, with state of the art low cost ultra high power, solid state lasers. Nautilus as MK Steinetz is important, but a low cost compact version that is not based on chemical lasers is required to be developed. It can be done, and it needs to be done quickly. All the posturing and introspection and blame and the like won't matter unless we have technology and strategy to neutralize Hezzbollahs missle and RPG efforts. At least reduce their kill rate significantly. Another point is that all armored vehicles have to have upgraded armor that prevents the new Tandem charge RPGs from penetrating our tanks, personel carriers and armored bulldozers. HOW ? Pretty simple technology really - the Cages - arrays of lateral metal bars mounted on some versions of the American Stryker personnel carriers - are intended to detonate the Tandem Charge RPGs about 1 foot outside of the main outside walls of the vehicle - neutralizing the dual penetrating and explosive chages AWAY from the tanks's interior. Then our guys survive to some home in most hits... .. instead of what we have seen. Cheap, easy and simple. These 2 things - cost effective mobile Laser defense against short range rockets, and Sheilds against Tandem Charge RPGs are critical points of defense for Israel. We can change the leaders, we can get into battle earlier, we can change tactics slightly, but the RPGs are our present battlegroud achilles heel. The missiles are more difficult - but the laser based defense weapon need to be built quickly at low enough cost and small enough size, to be deployed widely to be effective. Both fixes are needed, and 1 is easier than the other. But Israeli engineers are best in the world so we CAN DO IT if we really try hard. G_D Bless p.s. I like your articles - they are thoughtful and creative.
38. ISHMAEL ISHMAEL - what about yout terror
Mark ,   San Fran & Quebec   (08.14.06)
ISHMAEL ISHMAEL, What an eloquent vapid piece of crap you have penned. Your own Canadian Muslim leader incites veiled violence upon his own Arabs in Canada ( Prof. El Masry upon Tarek ?? ). The dumb professor in CANADA, paid with Canadian Tax Dollars in all his 20+ years as a "well respected?" professor in CANADA has only trained mostly foreign ARABS for his PhD students in CANADA. hmm... what gives bozo, Egypt in Waterloo ?? Watch how long that lasts when exposed. Tenure - screw that. Who needds to educate Canadians with Canadian TAX dollars as salary?? Minor bone to chew on for you?? Racist idiot. El Masry's private Egyptian Colony in Waterloo will be vanquished to the PYRAMIDS in time, if he is not incarcerated. Call the kettle black ? but 1st look in your own racist mirror. YUP the enemy to your people is ITSELF. The Clinton peace proposal was rejected, for what reason? Insanity on the part of Arafat? Or general insanity of the extremist Palestinians and their nutty leadership and YOU and your whiner ilk bretheren? False VICTIMS eh??? truth hurts... Would not have the compromise been better, cheaper and permit you folks to live decently, albeit not with Shaheed and Jihad as your DERANGED CONTINUAL OBSESSION. Find a life without Jihad. REAL TOUGH TO EXIST WITHOUT a JIHAD MISSION or LUNACY eh? Prayer, even with the Koran, is not meant to incite, although your people seem to revert to violence and then claim falsely you are VICTIMS. YOU are Victims of your own stupid inhumane LUNACY. The Clinton accord was imperfect for both sides - and that is what MAKES A COMPROMISE !!! ( unless you are mentally retarded ?? ) The main beef that Israelis have with Palestinians and their terrorist sympathisizers ( THAT INCLUDES YOU ) is that EVERY time Israel concedes something, she gets kicked in the ass with more violence upon Israeli soil. More blood upon Israeli people. The FENCE IS THERE TO PREVENT YOU GUYS FROM KILLING YOURSELVES AND US, FROM YOUR LUNATIC INHUMANE WORLD VIEW. Kapeesh??? No violence, no need for a fence to prevent your deranged acts of stupidity. Victims? Palestinian victims of their own FELLOW ARABS who incite false Jihads and Lunatic acts. Victims?? What VIctims except of your own people. Palestinians and their terrorist sympathizers who are DERANGED. GET A LIFE. DUH - Get a NEW BRAIN. Terrorist sympathy of ANY kind is INSANE, and the patients need to be institutionalized ( that includes YOU ) oh by the way - did you notice how Harper is not going to tolerate your crap. Better buttom those lips soon esle you are welcome to join your fellow culprits now in the Canadian Legal system. Shalom to you Shaeed !! do it to yourself 1st COWARD..
39. So clam down already
Richard Jacques ,   Longueuil, Canada   (08.14.06)
Sir: You're right, but don't you think there would be fewer wars if we all left God out of the governmet of man's affairs? How about negociations with the Palestinians, and observing international law and quitting settlements on occupied land?
40. Israel lost. Did that calm you down?
Jay ,   Los Angeles   (08.14.06)
?
41. Portugal GNP
fl ,   san francisco   (08.14.06)
Great article, but Portugal GNP seems larger then Israel's. $188b for Portugal vs 129b for Israel.
42. THIS WAR
W CHURCHILL ,   NEW YORK   (08.14.06)
This war will be remembered as an unmitigated disaster for Israel. There will be another war, this time probably with Syria & Lebanon, in less than 12 months.
43. how to remember
STEVE ,   LONDON, ENGLAND   (08.14.06)
I am writing to you from London. I work in a Social Security Office . The neighbourhoods of this proud city are densely populated with densely minded people who have cheered Hizbollah throughout this recent outbreak of war. London has done more than any capital city in the world to make this world a fit place for human beings to live in. People who live here are not poor like people in Lebanon and other Middle-East countries including Israel. People here have the best that life on Earth can offer an average person today. But they cheer and financially support groups such as Hizbollah. They teach their children to hate Jews and to march in public against Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians struggle for national independence. Very few people here offer their public support for Jews or Israel. An increasing number of people are mounting the Jihad against England. These people are ignorant. These people are stupid. These people are digging their own goddamned graves. Not graves in the ground but graves in gravitas. In eternity if you like. What we should remember about this war in Lebanon is that we saw people around the world making much noise in support of Hizbollah and next to no noise in support of the State of Israel. Israelis are asking each other what can be done to prevent this sort of warfare! What can be done to protect Israelis from rocket attacks? The diplomats who represent the State of Israel must improve their vocabulary and their ideas. Especially and particularly when they are being interviewed in public. Because what needs to happen is that the public’s imagination of itself and what it calls freedom of expression needs to improve most of all. People have to learn to think in terms of universal human rights. The Cold War has been over since 1989 and we still have this problem with our idealism for civilization. We ought to remember this war as a moment of victory for the IDF and for Israeli diplomacy on the battlefields and in the corridors of power, but we ought also to intensify our call for the leaders and citizens of the region to express their struggle in terms of universal human rights. The alternative is armed struggle and particularly by terror groups. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on the internet. You should take a look at it sometime and compare it with the logistics on the ground in the region. You would be surprised to see how easy it would be to completely obliterate terrorism with it. It is that simple really. All you have to do is articulate its articles and it is more effective than a daisy cutter bomb. It destroys mentality and not buildings. It builds confidence not terror. What shall we remember this Operation in Lebanon as? How about OPERATION BRIGHT DELIBERATION We all know that Hamas and Hizbollah will continue to plan their evil against us. What we need to do is put diplomatic pressure on the governments of Arab countries to make sure they fulfil their obligation to the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in bringing its full text to every child and youth when they are in school learning to articulate their world and international relations. You can’t always take evil leaders out of the world but you can take their undereducated world away from them and thereby deprive them of their followers. These wars have been raging for sixty years already. If you follow the strategy of Human Rights education you will begin to articulate the end of these wars. http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
44. Let there be no mistake
The Professor ,   U.S.A.   (08.14.06)
Israel was spanked. Not militarily, but by the U.N., by Iran, and by Syria with the help of the leftist media. It is unbelievable to me, but Iran is winning the first stages of WWIII (yes, this is stilll just the first stage, in my opinion). And it is all because we are losing in the eyes of public opinion (which in and of itself is unbelieveable that people can think the Islamofasist beheaders are the good guys). Iran and the radical islamofacists have the European leftists on their side, as well as the liberal wackjobs in the U.S. (like Lamont, Kerry, Kennedy, and Clinton). Unless we (the good guys) wake up and start using the big stick, democracy will fall, the U.S. will fall, and we will all be forced to beat our wives, pray 5 times a day, fast during ramadan, and only take showers once per month, or less. Yuck.
45. Lets face it.....The IDF got a Bloody Good Hiding
ricardo   (08.14.06)
as George Galloway put it.
46. Lapid's piece is proof of our elite's decrepitude
Ken ,   Hashmonaim, Israel   (08.14.06)
Last week Ari Shavit wrote a piece in Haaretz on the spirit of folly in which our country has been living. In that piece, Shavit castigates the elite for its role in bringing us to the precipace before which we stand. If you have any doubts about the rightness of Shavit's point, Lapid's piece should set them aside.
47. Good luck and thank you for all the fish
David ,   Israel   (08.14.06)
Please have a great time filling patriotic. I got much more pleasant and useful things to do. The World is big enough.
48. #22 u r right, the 'New Jews" r spinning...
DaveB ,   USA   (08.14.06)
The spin has started... is this the face of the New Jew? You know, the strong, tanned, secular, erect hero contrasted with the stereotypical hunched, religious,pale-faced bespectacled Jew of yore? Well, the New Jew has turned into the New Amercian: fat, out of shape, armchair commando looking to rake it in. Is this what we've come to? Is defeat and callousness to death the legacy of modern Zionism's New Jew?
49. When Mao was asked what he thought of the French Revolution.
Barry   (08.14.06)
he replied that it was too early to tell. On October 14 1956 , Nasser made clear his intent: "I am not solely fighting against Israel itself. My task is to deliver the Arab world from destruction through Israel's intrigue, which has its roots abroad. Our hatred is very strong. There is no sense in talking about peace with Israel. There is not even the smallest place for negotiations." The 1956 Suez campaign which cost 231 Israeli lives was a "failure" in that Israel was pressured by the USA to vacate Sinai without obtaining any concessions from the Egyptians. This failure was followed a mere 11 years later by a success and later still by Egypt making peace with Israel. The question as to whether the 2006 campaign is effective can only be judged by whether Hizbullah is willing to provoke another incident which could result in similar heavy destruction being suffered by Lebanon or whether the Lebanese state will itself in the medium term succeed to restrain Hizbullah
50.  Lapid&Olmert
Common sense   (08.14.06)
Didn't you know that Yair's father and Olmert are best friends ? Moreover, we know what immense influence Tommy has got on his son. Therefore it's obvious that Yair cannot be too objective in this matter . He's likely to be biased . In his T.V. show Yair Lapid praised his host Olmert for being kind and humane , qualities that people weren't aware of so far , he said.
51. Hezbollah won this round
Tom ,   San Francisco, USA   (08.14.06)
Hezbollah lost some fighters but they seek martyrdom. They lost (and expended) some weaponry but that can and will be replaced by Iran and Syria who are unscathed. Hezbollah will not disarm or withdraw from Southern Lebanon, and under the cease-fire agreement there is no one who will force them to do either one. The abducted IDF soldiers are virtually unmentioned. The IDF now has thousands of reservists sitting as targets in Lebanon while their regular jobs back in Israel go undone at great cost to the Israeli economy. There will be no significant Lebanese/UN force establishing a meaningful buffer between Hezbollah and Israel, just delay, obfuscation, and bluff. Hezbollah has clearly won this round. Nasrallah emerges the victorious hero. The war continues. This is what Olmert and co. have wrought. They must be replaced by a government that does not spend Israeli blood and treasure and get nothing in return.
52. It all depends in how much money EU puts in South Lebanon.
lulu ,   tlv   (08.14.06)
We need Marshal plan for South Lebanon. It's extremely urgent to rebuilt it, and give a decent pension to its resident. Iran puts 100 million a year for Hezbollah's military and charity. Please EU, be smart. Quintuple the price, give it to the central government, check seriously that not too much of it stays in the politicians' pockets, and there will be peace.
53. Portugal GNP
Barry   (08.14.06)
I think Yair meant that Israel's GNP per Capita is higher
54. Stay in London
Michael Karmel ,   Land of Abe, Is, Jac   (08.14.06)
You are a waste of space - but so are Olmert and his bunch...
55. wow
Humphery Shipless ,   Israel   (08.14.06)
Gloomus, good on you! My god, you are one of the few Americans (or any Westerner for that matter) that understand what the Western world is in for in the future. The question is, when you come right down to it, is this: Does the Western world hate Jews more than it is concerned for the survival of the free Western world as we know it? Probably so, as what other reason could there be for the blindess to the danger the world faces at the hands of Islam Feel free to write to my email, it would be interesting to converse with you:)
56. Armchair Generals
Rachel ,   USA   (08.15.06)
I notice how so many people sitting comfortably in their chairs AWAY from Israel are so ready to oust Olmert for having to make decisions they would be too chickens--t to do. When it comes to Hezbollah, *you cannot win* without total annihlation. That would have meant the Israeli takeover of Lebanon. Now how would THAT look?
57. #20
Zionist ,   Israel   (08.15.06)
1. Typical Settler extremism and stupidity. Lapid puts things into perspective. 2.The FIRST Committee of Enquiry should be to decide on restrictions on reporting during war. I dont know how many soldiers died as a result of Real Time reporting, but we have no choice other than to go back to Military Censureship."The Right of the Public to Know" can wait a few days.
58. You are right ISHMAEL #24
Stan ,   Israel   (08.15.06)
The Palestinians are the victims, but who made them the victims? 1948- The Arab States 1967 - Remember the decision of the Arabs in Khartum NO NEGOTIATION, NO RECOGNITON, NO PEACE . 1994 After OSLO and CAMP DAVID the Palest. could have had a state by now but the suicide bombers were against that. We have a saying in Israel " THE ARABS NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MISS AN OPPORTUNITY"
59. sounds like somthing from 1933
joe ,   usa   (08.15.06)
I agree with yair that most people don't know what they are talking about and they are just being hysterical, but like it to not, this IS the beginning of world war 3, and radical Islam is something that needs to be eliminated in its infancy and not when it has nukes... it too shall pass sounds very much like something a bunch of Jews (I think the exact number was 6 million) said about this German guy with funny hair cut and stupid mustache that came to power in Germany riding on waves of hatred ... while there is no need to panic and behave with hysterics, it is equally insane to think that life is as it always was and that the Hezbollah (Iran) is going to go away... as a very smart person once said, it's better to deal with a problem when it is small then to wake up and have to deal with a monster (or something like that...)
60. Yair Is Right!!! Calm Down Already!!!
Nick ,   NYC, USA   (08.15.06)
OK, so it wasn't a smashing victory, but Israel's still just fine. The sky is not falling, the end of the world isn't nigh, and all of us, inside and outside of Israel, will have to face many more "Operations" until WWIV plays out to completion.
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