The experience of his last dealings with the pals, he learned the kind of people that they are, that NOBODY can trust them.

Gen. Barak led the trying of basically everything the Israeli left, U.S. left Jews, and the "International Community" wanted done. The response was bus bombings, kassams, etc. Gen. Barak has proven personal courage and is showing a streak of brilliance. Israel can't just lie down and take it. Not only does it result in dead Israelis, it results in big problems in the diaspora... I for one am glad he tried the Left way, and now, given the response from the neighbors, am doubly glad to have him toughening up Israel and the diaspora. Gen. Barak can change parties or start a new one if he needs to. Internal bickering is less important than the changes Gen. Barak is making in the perceptions of Israel.

....unfortunately we can't say the same for you self dillusional foolish israelis that still actually believe land for peace is attainable. Wake up you blind fools! Just another talkback for the ynet editors to cut in their blind support of failed left policies.

yes he talks tough, but thats only becasue he wants to be in power, and once he becomes PM (if he does) he will be worse than olmert, and give away everything. this man is a dangerous dictator and egomaniac

Why did Kadima win the last election? because it told Israelis they could have their cake and eat it too. Israelis have longed for the past thirty years to do what Meretz advocates: stop fighting the Palestinians and give them whatever they want in exchange for peace. Most Israelis realized that this was insane and didn't vote for Meretz and Labor (which took a hard left-turn after Golda Meir resigned). In 1993 they decided to give the Meretz platform a chance and got a bloodbath. So they didn't vote hard-left again. But they drew the wrong conclusion from the faliur of Oslo, instead of seeing that the Meretz dogma of peace through capitulation is flawed, they thought that the wrong people were given the task of implementing it. They decided that if the person who led Israel's surrender was a tough war-hawk like Sharon that everything would somehow be alright, and so Bsrak is now saying "I'm a war-hawk, I'm a tough guy! and a surrender under my leadership won't gave the same deadly consequences as a surrender under those other cream-puff leftists." The platform worked for Sharon and Barak hopes it will work for him too.

The "Left" in Israel seems to be stuck in a time warp, where their Palestinian friends in academia or entertainment still welcome them to tea parties. They still bleat the same old tune of Oslo Oslo, and give themselves awards for being good PC leftists. However, they still don't seem to understand that the Palestinian mainstream and Palestinian leadership never changed their tune - the Pals still reject an Israeli state (you never see one in any Pal textbook, nor does any Pal schoolchild learn about "peace with Israel"). As well, the left still wants to free Marwan Barghouti, whom they expect will rescue Oslo from its death throes - all the while ignoring the reality that Barghouti is in jail on a multiple murder conviction. For killing Israeli soldiers? No, for killing Israeli civilians - whom Barghouti and the Pals still consider fair game. Barak is a breath of fresh air on the left....

Sometimes it takes a while for people to leave their fantasy land views about the Palestinians. Seems like Barak has left fantasy land! Hope he keeps going and doesn't do a U-Turn!!

Barak has learned the lesson of past stupid mistakes. With Islamist-JIhadists there is and will never be peace. Concession is a usurpation tactic of Israel's pernicious enemy. Why give away Israel's GOD-given liberated Biblical and Historic homeland to an enemy that wants to usurp and occupy Jewish Land? Israel must be resolute in defending every inch of its liberated historic land. Israel does not have to succumb to external pressures and manipulations engineered by Wahhabhist Saudi Arabia whose thugs murdered more than 3000 Americans on 9/11 and since then, murdered thousands more around the world through their sponsored Islamist-Jihadist terrorist networks. See the report on www.thereligionofpeace.com.

Apparently, Eichner doesn't. No doubt he should know. Don't be so gullible, people. Barak is a leftist, and Bibi is trying to align himself with leftists. So I guess this is supposed to make a Netanyahu/Barak/ilmert unity government possible? Remember: always think the worst. You'll still be too generous and you won't be such a sap.

ISN'T IDEOLOGICALLY STABLE ENOUGH TO "CHANGE" ! WERE ANY ONE TO RECALL HIS TENURE AS P.M. THE ERATIC NATURE OF HIS LEADERHIP WAS SO UNPREDICTABLE AS TO PUT HIM IN THE CATEGORY OF OUTRIGHT IRRATIONAL ! BY WHAT CRITERION DO THE UNSTABLE/IRRATIONAL GET THE LABEL "CHANGED" ?!!!!

He is changing his mind because then he thinks he is more likely to keep his political power. Do not be fooled again Israel. He was a traitor once and he can and probably will be a traitor again.

A leapard never changes his spots and Barak is not one to be trusted. I suppose you want to give Olmert another chance too, if he were to pretended to lean right?

"Always think the worse" is sound advice, especially with politicians. But I don't think they need Olmert in any future coalition - he has political leprosy. And, I'm not sure you could call Barak a leftist - I think he is only an ambitious self-serving opportunist with no principles at all. In other words, not much different from the rest of our politicians. I don't trust Netanyahu either - but I'm hoping that the next elections will result in a right-wing coalition without Labour or Kadima. At this point, that's not likely. But even a right-wing coalition is problematic considering the frequent about-face positions taken by our politicians in the past. By the way, thanks for answering Abdallah for me - I didn't see the post until today.

Let's not forget that most Jews would like to see peace. Palestinians though must show that they are not a security threat and not aiming to change Israel's demography. I fail to see how a future of violence and tragedy can make Jew or Palestinian enthusiastic for more.

He wants to improve his standing in the polls. That's all.

One example: http://www.gush-shalom.org/media/barak_eng.swf --- More info - on the Occupation Magazine

The censor cut my follow-up TB, which in particular ridiculed the homophobe Brod for believing this stuff about Barak's new understanding. I think I'd take your point further regarding Barak: it's not clear that the term "leftist" is even relevant when ALL major parties pretty much do the same thing or sit in governments that do the same thing. As I said in my deleted TB, it seems clear that only a mass movement to change Israel's system of government (involving refusal to serve, refusal to pay taxes, shutting down all traffic, encircling the Knesset) will make any difference now. Likudniks had the chance to vote Feiglin, but only 25% did. (Not that Feiglin is so terrific, mind you. But I do think he would annex Yesha and expel some Pals, and that's 2/3 of a loaf.)

ilmert is out, agreed. But if birdbrain livny took his place, I'll wager that we see a Kadima, Labor, Likud "unity government." In that government, ilmert will get some cabinet post.

That's what I meant - I just used the term "leftist" for convenience. Barak is just trying to sell a bad product - himself. But he's a smart sob & knows the way the wind is blowing plus of course, he was burned before trying to "make peace" - but nothing is a predicter of future behavior. Which is why I don't particularly trust Netanyahu either. But you can't really count on any mass movements (although all your ideas are good) - either Israelis are numb, apathetic, alienated from politics, or in denial - or a combination of all of the above. Feiglin never had a chance - at least not in today's secular & increasingly prosperous Israel. Things will have to get really bad (economy, terrorism, etc.) for people to get up off their buttocks. Our biggest problem remains the unaccountability of our politicians which accounts for the continuous recycling of failed politicians like Barak, Peres, & even Netanyahu. The Knesset is the same. Like a nasty skin disease, these politicians are impossible to get rid of in our current system. Hence, the possibility of bizarre coalitions as you suggested. Be well.

First, I would say actions are what will count now. So far so good now that a military person is MoD. Second, all politics is local. So while I like seeing Israel moving toward setting your borders (like pretty much every other country) because I want to visit more and the fence, for example, has made that reasonable. How you do it should be voted voted voted. Third (related to Second), the accountability would be improved by voting for individual people (with districts?) rather than the party list you seem to be working from (stuck with?). That way you can vote out anyone you can convince others to join you in voting against! The party list idea seems to be open to too much shenanigans (without long term accountability). Perfection isn't available, but continuous improvement has a good reputation. Some of these TBs are downright depressing... don't forget how great you guys are doing building Israel!!

just Israel-conning traitors.

I can't help feeling this is all cynical politics as usual. On the other hand, it is inconceivable that Barak would go through what he went through as Prime Minister and not have been intellectually affected in some way. If this road to Damascus conversion is genuine, and he manages it back to power, it would be all the more harder for him to be pressured by foreign governments. After all to his credit, he did make a huge effort along the preferred international lines, and it failed.

He knows that Olmert is gone in 6 months, Bush is gone in 15 months. But Barak does not need money as much as Olmert and wants some power in 6 months. He saw Sharon's total coma and he hopes that Olmert will follow Sharon. Finally, he does not care that his picture is not almost every day on the front page of YNET like the one of Peretz before him. Life is more important to him than money at the moment.

Barak is on the Left together with Peres, Olmert, Livni & all the other Bagaz-protected degenerate thieves.