Opinion
Lower your expectations
Yoram Kaniuk
Published: 15.01.09, 19:21
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40 Talkbacks for this article
1. Spinmeister at work for Olmert
SL ,   NY   (01.15.09)
This author is obviously a spinmeister busy creating the cover for Olmert to accept a ceasefire and abandon Gilad Schalit and the chance to finally crush Hamas. Olmert has stated he is tired of war. However, the people of Israel know that terrorists like the ragtag Hamas gangsters can and would be defeated (as Daniel Doron notes in his JPost.com opinion piece).
2. philosophy versus facts
George ,   Canada   (01.15.09)
Mr.Kaniuk Your article is more philosophy than fact: 1-“There is no way to defeat zealous ideologies, because their leaders are willing to hide behind their children”..Not true…One die another rise, the ideologies continue to exist as soon as their cause exist. 2-“Shiite Islam, which is the mother and father of Islamic terror”. Not true…If you mean Hizbollah ,show me where is their action out side Lebanon. 3-“It is only possible to secure tactical wins, and a cease-fire that everyone knows will be temporary”. This true.. 4-“and as opposed to what the critics say he did offer Arafat more than 90% of the territories. Some say it was 97%”..Not true …Barak withdrawal its offers before deal was done..Refer to Denis Ross last book. 5- “No chance for peace between Arabs and Jews on the basis of the Balfour Declaration”. Absolutely true it was an evil declaration took the land from one nation give it another. 6-“However, terror is the weapon of the weak”,, Absolutely true 7-“critics claim we are committing in Gaza genocide” …True ,how do call 1100 dead and 5000 injuries in two weeks, most of them civilian? 8-“Terrorism is like cancer no body can fight it “…Not True…The Islamic Terror is a decent phenomena and it is the result of the on going injustice at that part of wolrd for years so far . The America support for live long Arab dictatorship president and Kings and the Israeli occupation are the two means reason for this ongoing fight.
3. Another lefty loser who understands nothing
Al   (01.15.09)
Tell this crap to the Americans who blew the crap out of the Japs with two little FAT BOYS. In short order they begged for an end to the War and we havnt had trouble from the Japs since. The Japs were the hamas of that time..They were ruthless killers (ask the Chineese). Where does YNET find these losers?
4. Expectations
Brad ,   USA   (01.15.09)
Of course we in the US and you in Israel have yet to defeat the Muslims. It will remain that way as long as we continue to fixate on "world opinion" on how we react to their attacks. We are limited only by our unwillingness to do what is necessary to defeat them. Instead of playing footsie with them, and worrying about not "offending" them, we should have destroyed them long ago. Their stated willingness to die for "Allah", only goes so far. Otherwise they would not be hiding in hospitals, schools, and behind their mama's skirts during their childish jihads.
5. very exiting article, but let me..
jacob ,   munich,Germany   (01.15.09)
point out that here even Arabs , in this case Palestinian should recognise who brought misery on them. They have a chance to realize that there are no brothers coming to help them;therefore they should take their fate into thewir own hands and start building a future. And: every people had a "problem" during her existance. Take the Germans who willingly started a war, were detroyed and cut in half, had millions of refugees to take from the east- they immidiatelly started to rebuild their country and went trhough a long process of democratization which finally brought them back into the center of action in Europe and the world. Those refugees still have a day of remenbrance but would never think for a minute to regain their land by force. Instead they travel and visit and start to have good relations with the Poles, the Czechs, etc. The world is full of refugees- the Palestinians are not the only ones.And: finally I think that Arabs and in a way Israel should finally separate state and religion- the best way to have an open society
6. interesting article
han ,   london   (01.15.09)
at last someone is using his brain in analysing the futility of fighting jihadi groups head on. the greatest weapon on can use is the mind. even nuclear weapons wont do the job against these groups
7. Jordan successfully defeated Islamic terror...
Joe ,   Ramat Gan   (01.15.09)
... anybody remember Black September? To all those who say that there is no military solution, I say that there is no diplomatic solution. You must fight terror with terror in order to eradicate it, world opinion be d***ed!
8. The Cancer lies in the defeatist mindset
yehuda ,   Holit, Israel   (01.15.09)
That is the source of terrorisms power, the helplessness they try to convey to their victums. The key is to have greater faith in ourselves and to be willing to be even more relentless than them. What gives me the strength to fight is simply to picture how the world would be if we gave up. We cannot win a war like this cheaply but we can win it.
9. #3: Al, with all due respect, you're making the same mistake
Global Citizen ,   Israel & USA   (01.15.09)
as the media and its naive lemmings. Radical Islam is special. Its subjects represent a brutal mutation of thought that eliminates them from any plane of understanding to which any of us can relate. To them, this life is incidental, and a step to the next. Anger, hatred, and annihilation - even one's own and one's children - means everything and is a "blessing".
10. Turn Iran into a parking lot, all problems solved.
Zohan ,   Tel Aviv   (01.15.09)
11. Kaniuk is wrong
Frank ,   Canada   (01.15.09)
Terror can be defeated through military means. Kaniuk has a wrong understanding of war. He sees wars like WW2. These kind of wars have a clear beginning and a clear ending. But most wars last for decades or even centuries. This war is an attrition war between Jews and Arabs and Arabs. Because of their own definition time and of their crappy thinking, Arabs believe that in the long run they will be able to defeat Israel. Israel has only one option: adapt to this situation and make Arabs understand that they will never win on the long run and that they will lose more and more as a result of their agressions. Apart from using nukes, this is the only way to achieve peace. The current Gaza campaign is not a war, it is an operation within a larger war.
12. warplanes can most certainly eliminate terror in 5 minutes
Ran   (01.15.09)
if you USE them, however they've only been used by "humane" Kadima to target empty buildings. If you use them to raze Gaza to the ground (can be done in a few minutes) then the rockets stop. So this article is a big big lie my friends.
13. to jacob, from munchin in germany
mohannad ,   Duesseldorf   (01.15.09)
first of all, palastine before 1948 was an open socity, in palastine there were jews,crisians and muslims living togather in peace under the palastinen flag, and this mean that they were open minded, and accepted the relgion differnaces. and what brought misry to the palastinens is the decleration of isreal and stealing the land. i hope thats what your meant.
14. Any ideology can be defeated.
Terry ,   Eilat, Israel   (01.15.09)
Islamic terrorism can be defeated. How ruthless do you want to be? That's the real question. Obviously, Mr Kaniuk is not willing to be very ruthless - and because of people like him, extremist ideologies continue to succeed. This does not mean only military force, although that's an important aspect of fighting Islamic terrorism. It means exposing the ideology to the light of truth - forget being politically correct, forget BS inter-faith dialogue that white-washes the truth, forget ''accomodation'' & multi-cultural nonsense. It means a major propaganda effort aimed at Muslims themselves. It means no appeasement. It means penalties & sanctions on nations that finance terrorism & extremism. It also means changing our ideas on freedom of religion, re-thinking what we define as religion. No one says this is an easy fight - but it is a fight that can be won. Not, of course, if you are already defeated, like Mr Kaniuk.
15. Miserable author writes lousy fiction
Ilan ,   Ariel   (01.15.09)
And worthless military commentary.
16. Hardly!
5th generation ,   Israel   (01.15.09)
So-called "Palestinians" - many of which were economic migrants to Israel - were attacking Jews since the 1800s, just as their predecessors attacked one another and the native Hebrews before them.
17. #7 is correct
Ken ,   Edinburg, TX   (01.15.09)
Also the others who say correctly terrorism must be completely destroyed in order to have peace. #7 is correct in that Jordan has already proven destroying your enemies makes peace. Turn over the Israeli government to men who will not waiver from this fact and have the backbones to crush their enemies and produce peace.
18. #13 Mohannad
Jacob ,   Munich,Germany   (01.15.09)
the Palestine you talk of, never existed because it was under Ottoman turkish rule. Most of the landlords at that time lived either in Cairo or Beirut, but not in Palestine. Jerusalem had appr. 20000 inhabitants, it was a forgotten part of the world. True, by the end of the 19th century you found several waves of Jewish immigration, supported by some rich donors. All of the land that was to be cultivated was bought by funds. The cultivation of land, the start of industralisation made Arabs to move closer because jobs could be found. The history of the unrests would lead to far. But definitively it is not true that all religions lived peacefully side by side. And Syria called Palestine their southern district, integral part of Syria. Palestine also included the WestBank which today is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This tribe was kicked auf of what is today Saudi Arabia. So the Saudi tribe kicked the tribe of the Hashemites out. The English "gave" them Iraq and Transjordan. So a big part of Palestine was transfered exclusively to the king Abdullah. Finally the quarrels about the rest was brought before the UN. They "created" the state of Israel and a state of Palestine. Israel said:yes all the Arb States said: NO. What is really "funny" that after every lost round the Arabs wanted a STATUS QUO ANTE. It seems that the feeling that Israel is a thorn in the Arab flesh like once the cruisaders were. The Arab dream is still that finally Israel will cease to exist like a JEANY from Aladdins lamp is the big error and nobody in your culture dares to speak out the facts, regards
19. Violence will bring more violence
Omani Arab ,   Muscat, Oman   (01.15.09)
... and only Justice will bring peace ... when will you understand this simple fact !?
20. I would add one more point ....
Terry ,   Eilat, Israel   (01.15.09)
You would be very surprised at the number of Muslims who are not particularly thrilled with their religion (for want of a better word). While having a deep faith in G-d, many have no attachment to Islamic ideology as such - only to folk customs & traditions. But they are silent, intimidated, fearful of speaking out. I know this from first hand experience - this was the case with many of my friends, especially those who had never had ''instruction'' in a madrassa. Obviously, it is impossible to know how many people this represents - I can only offer anecdotal evidence. But it is far more than most imagine & this is the weak point of Islam. And it is a weak point that should be exploited.
21. The way to defeat terrorism
E ,   USA   (01.15.09)
The writer is correct in the sense that there is no "military solution" -- because, like Medusa, every time you cut the snake-head off the monster, another head grows. Military strikes are important, but you cannot defeat an ideology through physical means alone. So what's the way to destroy Islamic Jihad, in the general sense? We need to confront and condemn the god at the center of this religion -- ALLAH -- and expose him for what he is -- IBLIS. In other words, the only way to defeat Islamism is to defeat the false God.
22. Many Lies
Ben ,   Qatar   (01.15.09)
You don't have to put lies into your very low article to make it better, we know everything and your lies does not make our life better.
23. Cancer is not the same as Arabs
Ezra ,   san diego   (01.15.09)
The only way to stop the fighting is to do what Assyria did thousands of years ago: capture the land, then move the inhabitants to another land where they have no connection with that land. Carry them off in buses, planes...etc, but get them out of there. Annex the land and turn what was gaza into Israeli settlements. When that is finished, start planning for the take over of the West Bank. Nothing less will ever work, and I guarantee there will be rockets flying shortly after the next peace agreement with hamas. Guaranteed.
24. right: no cure for islamic terror, it's a killing disease
Ahmad ,   Gaza   (01.16.09)
right: no cure for islamic terror, it's a killing disease.
25. Simon says...
(01.16.09)
26. #17 - Ken, I wouldn't go so far as to say...
Joe ,   Ramat Gan   (01.16.09)
that destroying your enemies creates peace. What swift, complete and merciless retribution does create is deterrence and an environment that forces would-be terrorists to play by the rules of conventional warfare. It's the old philosophy of "two can play at that game". The Romans used this against us in our revolt(s) with devastatingly successful results. Our refusal to learn from our own history boggles my mind...
27. War is one of the tools
thedarkhorse ,   Stuttgart, Germany   (01.16.09)
It is true that ideology cannot be defeated by physical violence, since it is a state of mind. However when that ideology turns violent then war is an important tool to defeat it. By beating them you make them reconsider parts of their ideologies, such as Muslims will always beat non-muslims due to God' guidance. It makes them rethink their ideologies. Ultimately only eradication of public ignorance in Islamic countries will deal a death blow to Islamic terror
28. well said!
mark ,   brooklyn ny   (01.16.09)
very well put. I also thought of the cancer analagy.
29. How much Islamic terror does Syria suffer from?
Danny   (01.16.09)
Or did Sadam suffer from? As the arabic saying goes it-tikrar byiallim il-himar
30. expectations
annie ,   Belgium   (01.16.09)
What if Israel tried justice for a change ? It might work better than wars.
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