The IDF has had one arm tied behind their back due to an incompetant government who wont let the IDF operate as is necessary because they are too worried about what everyone will think. There has to be a point when ones says, 'damn what everyone thinks, I have to protect my constituents and citizens.' I hope the IDF is able to restore some deterrence, but it wont anytime soon...not with the current gov't at the helm. http://www.tzomet.net

In early days Israelis were really motivated to build and defend their country, not for the money or glory but out of sheer love and patriotism. Nowadays, Israel being a developed rich country, fewer and fewer people want to take personal risks, show initiative or go against the grain. The author here mentions Sharon - but doesn't mention the campaign of smear and vilification against him, which hardly anyone would bear or have courage and strength to stand up against. The bright minds of today and the reckless and brave venture into business, it's better and safer,than risking your life under idiotic orders of Olmert & Co during Lebanon war or stand trial for hitting a civilian in the combat or using disproportionate force in battle ( laughter through tears). Top officers can't travel abroad for the risk of being arrested - how do we expect this country to be defended against religiously motivated barbarians , who make a correct assessment of our weakness and meekness. The only thing that will one day may happen - should ( and God forbid!) there be an all-out war - a new Joshua Bin-Nun or Maccabee Bros will arise and save this country. But it means we'll have to see a lot of tragedy before this happens. God help Israel!

Today when the media penetrates evreywhere, it might be tough...But If politicians in Isarel will talk less and the IDF will do more... you'll have the expected results

Hizb and Hamas prove that the Arabs and Muslims will soon become so powerful that Israel will have no choice but to negotiate the deal we all know is coming, a Palestinian state based on the pre-'67 lines with East Jerusalem (Qods) as it's capital.

This critical loss of deterrence is precisely the type of irreparable self inflicted damage caused by the perfidy and incompetence of Israel's current incompetent and perfidious leadership. You cannot regain what has been so idiotically forfeited by our political snake oil salesmen. It may be too late to 'fix': witness the theatre of the absurd over the prisoner negotiations and the sycophantic catering to terrorist groups. Israel, if you do not remove these monsters from power in Jerusalem, even forcefully, you may be setting yourselves up for a fate you deserve. Our present political leadership is a scourge and source of profound nausea and disgust. Get them replaced.

Eliminating Nasrallah's predeccessor brought him to power, which proved to be such a well thought out and predictable maneouver by the Mossad of the early 90's. The author forgets the law of unintended consequences; allow Hamas as contender in the 80's to thwart Fatah power and now they are a force to be reckoned with even if they are beneath the contempt of most Israelis. The "old days" are coming back to haunt Israel as well. They are being used by her enemies to paint a country that is pathologically addicted to violence and extra-judicial killing. The entire problem with Israel is that people here will always go for the short-term solution over the long term one. You can see it permeate every aspect of Israeli life from the state of teh schools to the roads. This will be Israel's undoing, lack of foresight, not any lack of detterance.

The time for payback is approaching. The criminal enterprise called zionism must be flushed down the toilet of history, where it belongs.

You are right on. But first things first. Olmert has to go as he cannot preside over the military. Barak has to go as well since he is not able since he was PM to go to bed ater killing arabs. The idf then has to use asymmetric army tactics like fuel air bombs and russian aneshetic bombs to soften heabollah bunkers.

HAHAHA that's what the Arabs think of the IDF.

The problem is not Israel or its military its is very simply the limp wristed wishy washy self hating liberal leadership.

The Arabs are animals and only respect strength and force. Olmert is a corrupt weasel and weakling, and the Arabs know it. For every rocket that lands in Israel, they need to be hit hard and fast. For every kidnapped soldier or terror attack, the animals need to feel lots of pain. "Peace negotiations" with the terrorists are a joke.

But there is a scarier bully in the 'neighborhood' - Iran.

Hamas have in a way become "superior" to the current Israeli leadership. The Israelis are guilty of criminal negligence. They simply do not care abotu their own people, and only interested in scorign points on the international and diplomatic scene.

And just why should our enemies fear us Mr Weissglass when corrupt people like yourself help give away Jewish land to arabs and expell jews from their homes...are you not ashamed? How dare you even write columns in newpapers. What a disgrace you are.

Of course Arabs think that we're a pushover with Olmert and his ministers that were chosen simply because they'd support him. Let's get real now. Olmert's two sons are hiding in the US to avoid army service; his daughter works against Israel with Beit Tselem and his wife is apparently left of Trotsky. We need a government that Arabs are afraid of and that obviously isn't the present one. Deterrence saves lives! Mike

it's time for mask wearing; they would not know that it is the IDF.

weary of war,war,war,.Do you blame the veterans of 101 from protecting their granchildren. The dollar reigns supreme, and anybody that can make it is heading for the green card.

israel used to be the all mighty , with the best weapons and the best training for its soldiers , but today the world has changed and the very small army in lebanon can beat the hell out of your soldiers if provided good weapons , and this is exactly whats hapening , the arab world is getting better weapons and better training , and soon atomic warheads to reach telaviv from far far away , and you will no longer exist , kaboom ,israel is gone , the apparthied regime is wiped out just like its predessesor in south africa , except there will be lots of blood shed in the occupied land of palestine , with the zionist blood all over the place .

Israel is not going to scare anybody from now on. Israel is visibly getting old and much less motivated and its new generation has superficial faith,at most, that this land is their Biblical land... All this retrogression on the part of Israel is not the result of Israel slack position or attitude but rather it is the clear outcome of several wars that Arabs successfully waged against Israel in which they inflicted unbearable casualties on the tiny Jewish State... The October 1973 Yom Kippur War cost Israel some 9000 killed and 20,000 wounded despite the fact that Israel made more territorial gains in that war...Yitzhak Rabin himself openly admitted in 1974 that Israel can not survive without US help... In 1981 IAF fighter airctaft destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor but 10 years later Iraq showered Tel Aviv,Ramat Gan, Hifa, and Dimona with deadly long range missiles that proved to Israel in 1991 that Israeli densely-populated urban depth is indeed within reach by Arab lethal weapons.... Hizbullah ruined almost all northern Israel in the summer 2006 war although it is only a small organization of semi-regular guerillas. HAMAS these days are punding the once-secure Ashqelon with terrifying rockets... This is the turn of the tide...

How sad and how true. What can be done? Do you have the right "ingredients" (including politician brains) to react? A real despair and on top of it nasrallah and partners are improving on how to harm us (words, weapons, humiliations)

If I recollect Adon Weisglass was a main supporter in the Gush Katif debacle that started the mini snowball rolling downhill, which in turn caused a series of circumstances that removed the deterrent effect and fear of the IDF as an organ that could and would respond with shock and devestating force to an organization that has been neutered by the concept of being "tired of winning" and fear of bad PR from members of nations that can never, EVER be supportive of Jews in general and Israel specifically. Adon Weisglass. Watch some TV. But please, PLEASE shut the hell up. You are no one to offer up your wisdom. You simply do not have any to spare.

Olmert and Barak are issuing empty threats and until they act on them, and not half-assed like in Lebanon, their bluff will be called and Israelis will pay with their lives. Israeli government and security apparatus is an amateur hour and now they're being challenged. If Israel has been all 'appearances' all those years, Israelis are doomed, because Iran will attack, for real. The Middle East of today is not the same as in the 1950s and why the Israeli elites bought into their own hot-air propaganda, Muslim neighbors have been arming, training, acquiring skills and means to destroy Israel. In lebanon, fortifications may have been pulverized, but Hezbollah remained 'unpulverized.' Somebody should tell israel's deep thinkers that fortifications and houses can be rebuilt fast, but it takes at least 18 years to 'rebuild' a Hezbolla soldier. You want to scare Hezbollah, kill a lot of soldiers, not houses.

is part of the problem, and should have been tarred and feathered long ago.

I just love your patronizing tone, telling everybody what's what and who's who and how everything would be if everything were done your way. Simply pathetic and trite. Wake up. Hizbullah was created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and Nasrallah's predecessor was as implacable an enemy of Israel as Nasrallah is today. Hizbullah's cult image was created by Israel's haphazard and hurried withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, not by Nasrallah's underground speeches. As for Fatah and Hamas, you forget that Arafat and the al Aksa Martyr's brigade were just as commited to Israel's destruction. Why should Israel have supported Fatah? Hamas evolved from the Moslem Brotherhood movement and was financed by Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the 80s; it was not Israel's Frankenstein. Israel supported the 'village movement' of West Bank mayors loyal to King Hussein. You are long on criticisms, but short on solutions, Mr. Pilate.