The public state-of-mind that you are describing is just that: the state-of mind of the Israeli public (or of part of it). I don't think that Gabi Ashkenazi or the IDF have much to do with it. Don't blame them for the wailing of the Media and the Left.

i really wonder what did they want they simply go behind enemy lines and cry to idf "please help me" .. "I'm israeli citizen" so mr "israeli citizen" go back to any safe area and stop put more hevy wights on idf shoulders

Thank heavens there is someone with enough spine to state the obvious - the leadership is controlled by a bunch of sissies, where mothers run interference with national security. While mothers are profoundly worried about the safety of their sons and daughters during army service, national security policy should NEVER be against the backdrop of their sensitivities. When my son was a volunteer ! IDF combat soldier, I lost many. many nights sleep worrying. However, I also knew that once he joined the army that my sensibilities did not prevail. True leaders protect the homefront, and at the same time train their soldiers for victory. Between the disgraceful lack of protection for the homefront, coupled with the doctrine of 'limited conflict' one can understand the prism through which the unhealthy state of the nation is filtered.

They want our borders to become indefensible so that they can pocket the terror-dollars being offered them to surrender the State. The olmert gang (olmert/livni/barak and meretz) are more concerned with their after-Israel lives in Europe and the Mid-East and how they will finance their new diversions.

Barak does small covert missions. His MO does not include general invasions. He will not do gaza more than a raid of 1-200 soldiers, Remember Olmert says stop after 2 km , if one soldier gets hit, the blood is too much.Nonetheless, Barak is spent, has no fight left in him and he can only do a few covert missions. One thing is disturbing for a general, he keeps boasting and threatening. Israelis are telling him-shut up and do something. here-I'll give him some advice-Blow up all the gas stations 10 km from the border, knock off police stations and eliminate Zohar and retake philadelphia. Thats for a start. No, he won't do it. He just boasts like Olmert, who is totally ,totally useless in war. In fact, Olmert will lose every war israel enters for sure.

Gone and forgotten within 3 generations Nothing to be said...Jews simply too stupid to be a people....More like a group of schnorrers.

If more people realized that, their attitudes would change. The "elite" leftist crowd would have no choice but to leave the country(which many have done)or stop whining and let their sons defend the country once and for all. Also, I can't believe how the army is run. Even during basic training, they can and do go home every weekend and cry to their mommies about how their commander yelled at them. That absolutely has to change. We are setting ourselves up for failure, a failure that is disasterous. It's about time that the teenagers start behaving, stop terrorizing the malls, start respecting their elders and when they reach the army, tighten their belts and start acting like men instead of spoiled brats and cowards. If not, as things are going, this society will rot from the inside faster then any enemy can destroy us and Syria, Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah will just come in to clean up.

that Israeli civilians living in the West Bank (Judea and Shomron) are the first line of defense. Countless times I have heard the mantra that those living in the West Bank keep Jerusalem safe from terrorist attacks. The Israeli civilians who lived in Gaza (Gush Katif) also use the same line they now claim that the reason that Sderot is being attacked is because they were repatriated (expelled) from Gaza (Gush Katif) I am puzzled because the writer now wants me to believe that the IDF isn't doing its job and that it is leaving Israeli civilians without defense! You can't have it both ways decide already --- which is it?

whilst we were in Gaza, the number of attacks was relatively low. We came out then the army wasn't operating all the time, there was less ability to draw intelligence, we stabbed in the back those who did help us and we showed the other side we didn't have the stamina for a fight. Ditto Lebanon. I think it is hard for the "left" to claim that occupation=war and "ending the occupation"=peace. So far where we "occupy" is relatively peaceful and where we have ended the "occupation" is violent. It is an exact one to one match.

Adults - not children. As the parent of 2 who finished their tour of duty with the IDF, I can tell you for all of the grousing and the coddling (yes, I did their laundry), they were proud to have done their duty. Parents must stop whining about their children and teach them to stand tall. And the IDF should stop being scared of parents (and lawyers) and start treating the soldiers as grownups with responsibilities, shouldering the security of the nation, protecting us from the enemy.

israilis people has only one treasure it is the idf .in any expecting danger people hide or protect their treasure if it is gold or money .but history memories is hidden already in a bone case ..now what history or what memory of the state is ..60 years is nothing in the age of a nation .it is nothing .becouse of that israilwant to protect the soldiers the only treasure tokeep the state or the nation but not the people

because the right and all the settlers know that the minute the IDF pulls out their positions are unsafe! because the right and all the settlers know that they aren't protecting anyone from anything...they are just taking advantage of the system to get something for nothing! because the right is wrong!