this unfortunate article should never have been published. It displays poor judgement and confusion at YNet and only emboldens our enemies. If the situation is so unbearable for this poor mother , she can leave with her two 'children' and go to Los Angeles, New York or London , or wherever she learned her excellent English. ~amen

can't you even suggest some of the other "choices"? Our leaders are not wizards who can think of things that not a single one of us citizens can think of. Ms. Mishali--just a little suggestion--what other choice? When we send high school kids to camps in Poland, should we tell them that the Americans, British, and Russians should not have fought the Nazis and sent their soldiers into combat against them, that they should have come up with other choices? How about this for a choice: the state of Israel should stop handing free land to terrorists and letting them attack us from this land. But meanwhile, pray tell, what is the other choice for Sderot?

It´s not upon you to decide what Israel should to regarding Gaza Your sons will join the Army, they will be soldiers. Get used to it. Soldiers have to obey orders. If your sons receive the order to fight in Gaza that’s exactly what they have to do. Its totally irrelevant, what you or anyone else think about it. The simple truth is, you can´t do anything about it. That’s not the way it works in the Army. Oh, of course, your sons could disregard the order. Well, that’s called insubordination and that is still punishable. At least around here. For your sons sake I hope they will put their duty first, not your political opinion and your legitimate worries as a mother. Furthermore, your actions could be seen as solicitation. That’s punishable too. And let me tell you this: There is no other choice. Sooner or later you have to go to war with those terrorists. Get used to that too. Or try to convince the public of your ideas. If you have any. ´Cause that’s the way it works in a democracy.

are there already. But they're from the Golan, our creme de la creme, so that explains it really. They'll look after you and yours too, Yael.

And if you don't feel comfortable doing what they did/do because you feel that "this is the price of 'Democracy' you have to pay", don't worry. More likely than not, your son will be one of those "lucky" ones who will get the honor of expelling his Jewish brothers from their rightful Jewish homes in their own homeland.

Most Israeli's wanted a withdrawl from Gaza and Lebanon before it Israeli's wanted Oslo back in the day Israeli's elected Olmert... Well, now eat your lunch. Israel will now do something stupid again, in Annapolis. Lets face it, Israel's worst enemy are themselves. You want another solution? Stop being delusional.

I think it has to do with the goal. What do we want to achieve? And, to a certain extent, why do we want to achieve it? IF the goal is a publicity stunt for cosmetic purposes, to make some jerk politician look like he's doing something, then this lady is 100% correct in her view. I wouldn't want anyone's kids to die to push up the approval rating of our dispicable politicians in the polls. IF the goal is to deliver Gaza to Abbas by weakening Hamas, then again, the lady is 100% correct. Let Abbas fight his own battles. Personally, I'm fed up with attempts to "bolster" this irrelevent loser & his band of thugs & criminals. It's bad enough that we keep him in power in the West Bank. Israeli kids should not die to liberate Gaza for Abbas & further progress to a Palestinian state that is not in our national interest to begin with. This, of course, begs the question, under what conditions & with what goal is an invasion of Gaza worthwhile? First, what other options are available? Realistically, not many. We can't even cut off their electricity without a storm of protest about "collective punishment" - so I guess stopping fuel & food deliveries is out of the question as well. Can we do what Russia did in Chechniya? Much as many would find this an appealing strategy, realistically, we would not do it. Can we destroy infrastructure & kill Hamas leaders? Yes, to a certain extent, it could be effective. But we seem to hesitate when it comes to top Hamas leaders - the over-weight Mr Haniya is still walking around as are many others. So, we are back to an invasion. What should the goal be? IF we are prepared to kill a large number of Hamas fighters & force the rest of them into exile, then an invasion is worthwhile. In exile, Hamas will become irrelevent as the PLO & Arafat became in Tunisa before our genius politicians resurrected him for Oslo. Cut off from their population they will fade into oblivion. And how will this affect the "peace process"? Abbas will look like a total traitor in Palestinian eyes if he continues negotiations. The whole process will be de-railed. No big loss, in my opinion. Will we be forced to re-occupy Gaza? Not necessarily. We only have to control the border with Egypt. What will happen in Gaza? It's up to them - it's not our problem.

Just flick the switch and demand unconditional surrender.

Flip thru the article folks, but really read the talkbacks. I love 'em all so far, I think.

Let your sons decide. If the next Gaza operation is "Olmerts´ war" then your opposition (never a decision) to "send" your children to war is "Mishalis´ war". You, with your enormous mastery in strategy can deem the operation unnecesary, but thousands of rockets lobbed on jewish towns and infrastructure is enough "CASUS BELLI", and the later the operation is undertaken the bigger the threat will grow, and soon you will have rockets raining in your fancy progressive paradise. You´re being selfish and coward.

this is the most selfish article i have ever read. i am a soldier and i have a mother and she loves me just as much as any other mom loves her children. but to write that the country could not have your sons as part of the fight against islamic fascism is ridiculous. but its ok, i'll be there fighting to make sure Ms. Mashalis family is safe here in Israel if we do go into Gaza. And my mom will be proud of me and know that i am doing a good thing!

for four years, as America rescued Europe and freed the surviving Jews and others from their enslavement in work camps. Maybe they would have been wise to insis their sons go the prison for avoiding service instead, considering how thankless Europe has been, nearly bankrupting America by not paying America back for the Marshall Plan and their NATO defenses. but when it comes down to it, most mothers will send their sons off to war in defense of the homeland. That is what mothers have always done. In ancient Rome, the sons avoided service in the military by cutting off a thumb from one hand. Maybe this mother hsould suggest that to her coward sons. I have always considered my brothers and high school and college acquaintances cowards for avoiding military service in Viet Nam by college deferments. One did try to get a commission through ROTC at college; but when a commission was not offered, he should have enlisted and tried again for a commisson by examination. Decades later, I still called my brothers yellow bellied draft dodgers and rarely associated with them. They lost my respect long ago. My husband was spit at on the college campus for wearing a Navy uniform. He served 33 years in the US Navy and four years in high school ROTC at Anaheim High School in California before that. So in my opinion, this mother who wrote this article is a yellow bellied coward undeserving of having sons. King Solomon said warfare had to be the primary occupation of ancient Israelites and Exodus 15:3 says the Lord is a man of war. That was true long ago and is still true. The children of Knesset members who avoid military service should be stripped of their Israeli citizenship since they are not worthy of the name, Jew.

Nothing wrong with this feeling towards her children.

If something is not done, and done soon,a lot of other mothers in Israel are going to start thinking the same as this mother. Don't go into Gaza if you are going to do a half hearted job. Go in and finish the job properly or don't go in at all. She's right, in certain aspects,we can't have a situation, where the prime minister of Israel sends someone else's kids to war, when his own sons are hiding overseas.

But this is ok because they're "peacenick secular".

If you won't even fight against people that are attacking Israeli Towns and Cities then you are not an Israeli or even deserve to be an Israeli. http://ralphsrant1.blogspot.com

my sons were there - my grandchilden will be out of this country.

Why did you come to Israel? You knew that Israel is not Switzerland and that the country is in a constant state of war. Nobody forced you to go to Israel, you still can go back to whereever you came from. However, if you are in Israel and your children have to do their military service they have to obey orders and it´s not up to you to decide where they will serve. It´s understanable that you´re concerned as a mother, but on the other hand nobody forced you to go to Israel and when you made Aliyah you damn well knew what Israel is all about and the whole political situation there. When we were leaving Ukraine my parents automatically excluded Israel from our choices since they knew that both me and my sister would have to serve in the IDF and they were fully aware of the situation there and my father has always said "There will never be peace there and my children won´t die for nothing". So we went to Germany and you should´ve stayed in the US or wherever you come from (I assume you´re from an English speaking country). don´t want your sons to risk their life - go back where you came from. This article just doesn´t make any sense!

LIving in the US I feel I don't have the right to comment on the writer's refusal to send her sons to defend Israel. Yes, Sderorot and the Negev are part of Israel. I never sent my sons so I can't blame her. But how sad that a citizen, I assume she is, can not see the need to defend her own country. No other real solutions, short of giving Hamas Tel Aviv, has or will work. I hope others don't feel like her.

I am not Israeli yet I am offended by such an article... who are you to tell your sons what to do in their lives? Who are you to decide for your sons whether or not follow orders and do what must be done against an enemy that wishes to eliminate the State of Israel? This article is nothing but an indication of your emotional way of thinking.

Let us hope that they are. Otherwise, their mother will send them to jail. Ms. Mishali is a foolish, self-centered woman. She wants freedom without any obligation to defend it.

Of all the countries in the world, what is the attraction of Germany?

As I've said before there is an obvious choice. Not one Israeli should set foot in that cesspool. Give the Gaza civilians 48 hours to leave for the West Bank - which I am certain is an option they would grab - and flatten what remains. End of Hamas.

What a blank blank hypocrite.

Where IDF soldiers go.

* your political view is valid & understood; that said tho... * your sons shouldn't join the idf unless they're wholeheartedly ready to defend the country & go wherever the idf leaders deem they should go * you actually think the generals should ask your permission if it's ok w/you if they need to send your sons to gaza or anyplace else- i.e. to take a vote from the moms b4 doing anything?????

she is a joke. Very ugly joke. If she supports Beilin, Peres, and Olmert I can't care less about her family. Why don't she go on a unger strike near Olmert's office. What se afraid. Why she wouldn't call for removal of Peres. She is coward.

I think the subject line says it all. If it weren't for the Four Mothers, Israel would never have left Lebanon, and Hezbollah would never have gotten so strong. Soon we'll be saying the same about Hamas. Actually it is this kind of mentality that led to the Holocaust. These Jewish mothers are the seeds of the Jewish people's destruction.