If this report is accurate and Vilnai used the word "shoah" in to describe something Israel will do or has done in its conflict with the Arabs, he should quit immediately and apologize to every Jew in the world. What an idiot.

Hang on......let me get my head around this: Some Palestinian terrorists fire rockets on Israel. One Israeli civilian gets killed in this rocket attack. So far so bad. Israel's response is killing 32 people, among them five children, and the announcement that Israel is willing to use force without restraint in order to defend itself which may lead to a holocaust against the Palestinian people. Just for the record: It's of course the Palestinian's fault when Israel kills their children. You are sick and rotten to the core. Hamas managed to turn you into fanatical monsters, just like they are themselves. There is no "good" and "bad" side anymore. Just sick.

we must not fight to install Fatah in Gaza

NUK IRAN and these GAZA will absove itself. Topple hamas, Take the northern terrotary, bomb the underground tunnels the passage way of weapons. take full control of these spots. Nail HAMAS heads and Fatah too. In last 48 hours Fatah has moved towards joining Hamas. IDF FINISH THEM OFF NOW !!! This is not SHoah but a legitimate right Israel has to defend it soveriegn Land and her borders. In Laat 24 hours the news around the world has been trumping waves but miscontruing the TERM HOLOCAUST to the benefit of the PALS.There has been some Public Relations Stunts pulled agaainst the IDF massive operations in Gaza. BUT IT DOSENT WORK BECAUSE WE KNOW THE TRUTH.WE KNOW THE CULPRITS ARE THE TERRORIST HEADS OF HAMAS and FATAH !!!! IT is IRAN that is cooking up a HOLOCAUST !!! LISTEN it is IRAN IRAN !!!!! IRAN!!!!!

Vilnai is right, Israel is doing the same as the Nazis did in the Second World Wor. It's sad that Israel doesn't know better.

with this statement is clear: Israel is not winning the media war wth palestinians - every time Israel speaks about this bunch of murderers (palestinians) make mistakes like using the term "shoah" in an inaccurate manner

Israel is fighting for its existence, read the Hamas charter before shooting your mouth of.

your hamas friends shoot 1.000 missiles in 2 months but Israel has reacted very slowly and still you accuse the jews typical hater

He confuses a war of annihilation against innocent Jews with a ratcheting up of resistance to Hamas terror. It is a terrible error of judgement for someone in his position from which Hamas is already making political capital.

The Media and People like you are mostly silent while Israeli People suffer under permanent Terror. Only if IDF starts measures to prevent further attacks you come out of your holes and argue over moral and stuff. i call that "sick"

Is one of Israel's greatest generals and a great patriot who spent his life defending israelis,.From reading Pal's media etc.one cannot escape the use of the word Naqba,,,which means Shoah....if they use it so liberaly while they shoot rockets,I dont see any problem with using the same word as we shoot back. It all points to the fact that once Israel shoots back...the whining and crying we hear from these perpetual beggars and their amen corner in the progressive circles in the west clearly shows that the harder you hit them back,the more effective you are.

Israeli politicians think they dont need brains, just a big mouth.

Vilnai definitely stuck his foot in his mouth, but let's not get carried away. The Palestinians are the instigators and perpetrators of the current violence in Gaza. Lest we forget, here are the words of Amnesty International: "The attacks against civilians by Palestinian armed groups are widespread, systematic and in pursuit of an explicit policy to attack civilians. They therefore constitute crimes against humanity under international law. They may also constitute war crimes" http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE020032002?open&of=ENG-ISR

in europe they already using the slogans MUSLIMS OUT! and treaths of a huge holocaust are coming from many corners, and europe had only few terrorist bommbings. muslims started this fight and can only blame themselves.

Shoot and don't talk ! (as said by one of the channel 2 newsmen this morning). And if when you open your mouth it means you put your foot in it with a heavy hand, just learn to keep your mouth shut. Where were your brain and most basic historical awareness at the time you made that terrible statement?

Anger at being targeted day after day after day after day after day - aimed at civilians! But if you look at the Hamas charter a 'holocaust' is EXACTLY what they intend for us. Perhaps it was a mistake on his part to have used that word. But if they could have their way, it would be their intention to inflict that on us.

Spoken like a person in the midst of a psychotic trauma. "Nuke Iran... IDF finish them off now!" And you are surprised when Hamas say that you are using Nazi terminology and methods!

your NL people has collaborated to murder 180.000 jews, so you are unqualified for historical comparisions even your Bernie was in the SS shame on you

A common affliction among our politicians. Shooting your mouth off without thinking is just plain stupid, also a common affliction among our politicians. References to the Holocaust are inapproriate when taken out of their original context.

he said holocaust? is he stupid? israel wont even do any "evil" thing to the pales so how comes he calls it "holocaust"

Well, I have only little hope that you will think about my answer because for you it is quite clear, that I am a Jew-hater just because I am German. If you read what I WROTE and not what you WANT TO READ, you would have recognized that I am not defending Hamas. I think they are terrorist who deserve the harshest possible punishment. Furthermore, I am not denying Israel's right to self-defense. It is the opposite, I think Israel should even react harsher than it did so far to protect its citizens. The only thing I am doing is criticizing they way, Israel is reacting. Too many civilians - children - get killed. What makes it even worse is that one of your ministers in fact uses the word Holocaust - he indicates that the Palestinians will suffer a holocaust if they don't stop the rockets. I have been to two concentration camps to get an idea what happened in the holocaust. If you link that to things Israel does or could do, well, that is indeed very sick. You should ask your minister to resign, cause he spit in every Jew's face by threatening the Palestinians in that way. But maybe your world is too small and your heart too full of hate to realize such things. It is easier to live in a black-and-white-world where Jews and Americans are good, Europeans weak and anti-Semitic under the surface and Muslims the incarnation of the devil himself. Such a world-view spares you a lot of thinking.......

not against murderously hostile nazi-style rocket launching terrorists. poor choice of words from this g'mnt official.

One can argue the choice of words used by a government official, but his (Vilnai's) sentiments remain correct and justified. The hardliners (Iran, African States, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Lebanon and more) supports the ideology behind Ahmadinejad's resentment and enmity towards Jews and Christians by funding and arming the human-bomb soldiers of Islam. However, we must pray for peace and wisdom for our enemies as well as for us. It takes two to tangle, and these hardliners offered Y'srael to fall out into sea. Embolden yourself in prayers and weapons!

What are you, except a collection of Transalpine Barbarian tribes going through the motions of being civilized.

I just read the BBC report on this and it makes me sick the way portray Israel "Israel warns of Gaza 'holocaust'" Every news outlet in the world will jump on this careless word and twist it in favour of Hamas. The thousands of millitant rockets will not be mentioned. Talking aggresively will do nothing to deter Hamas it just makes Israel look bad.

The phrase likely didn't sound quite as bad in Hebrew as it does in the English translation. Contrary to the Ynet description, the word "shoah" IS occasionally used to highlight the scale of a disaster that isn't THE Shoah as a prope noun (analogous to English phrases such as "nuclear holocaust"). Still, this is a disastrous case of the foot-in-mouth disease, all too common among the contemporary breed of Israeli politicians. Terrible timing, too.

Why don't you stop killing each other. After all, your both semitic brothers. Why can't you just all get along. TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY

Arabs compare often Israel to the Nazis. In that way they try to hide their own Nazis methods at home and the seamy side of life in their countries. It is not new : the U.S.A. and Israel are the targets of the venomous hate of the Arabs and Islam. Let’s not mistake, let’s not forget who are the enemies of freedom and of our civilization, who are the heirs of Hitler. If you think “Islamist Fascism” is an empty slogan, observe the reality just open : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2008/01/nazi-face-of-jihad.html

Do we know if he actually said it? I mean Reuters is hardly an unimpeachable source and I find it HIGHLY unlikely he used this particular word. Also Galatz doesn't have anything about it on their website.