First of, let's start with the fact that the agreement within the Israeli public is that the war was stopped prematurely, due to the politicians' indecisiveness and lack of guts. I believe no one doubts the IDF had the power to bring much stronger pain to Hamas than it actually did. Now, let's remind ourselves, that Mr. Matar here wants us to negotiate with terrorists. Yes, those people, who killed dozens of Israelis, injured hundreds more. Hey, Mr. Matar - they've killed our children too. Somehow, we now should be negotiating with genocidal maniacs, whose sole purpose is to destroy the Jewish state. By the by, don't forget the front page of Ynet for today - because today Hamas "shunned" PA's PM Mahmoud Abbas for asking Hamas to accept Israel's existence. Oh, well, they're democratically elected by the Palestinians, aren't they? In my eyes, it gives all the more strength to the option of acting harsh in Gaza, instead of recognizing regime that holds power by rounding up everyone who protests its violence, labeling them "collaborators" and shooting them. It's really great Haggai Matar presents himself and the likes of himself as the ones who told people the truth when everyone didn't want to listen. Too bad Mr. Matar never protested Hamas' indoctrination of children, by showing them Jew-eating rabbits and other "whimsical" characters of genocidal nature. We can agree on one thing, here: this war was useless. IDF did a good job and could've done a much better one - if not the cowardice of the political echelon. So let Hagai and others protest and present us "the truth". The recent elections reflected the real mood of Israeli people. Our verdict: Hagai Mattar is a loon, as are many others like him. They protest attacks against Hamas and Gaza, while never rallying for cessation of rocket and mortar fire at Israeli South. You're no traitor, Hagai. We live in democracy, where you have a right of speech - something Hamas doesn't allow to its Gaza citizens, by the way. You simply are a loon. You live in another dimension, fighting for those who choose to murder you, and fighting against those who for generations been trying to make peace. Thank God for democracy.

really really pathetic

...because we didn't finish the job! same goes for the wars in Lebanon, the Yom Kippur war and the 6 day war. The next war we need to go all the way against our enemies just like the Allies did in WWII. Thats the only way to win a war.

True to form, diehard leftists are incapable of recognizing the volley of rockets/missiles being lobbed at Jewish heads, for to do so would 'disturb' their peace hallucinations. The writer then babbles about a lull extended by Hamas. Surely he is not referring to the non-stop lobby of rockets directed at southern civilians ! since the expulsion in 2005? Why is it an article of faith that just because Hamas says that it ceased its fire, that it indeed did? Were the rockets/missiles terrorizing the south just a mirage? Now, onto the fiction that the crossings have been (supposedly) closed. Once again the writer 'forgets' about the truckloads ! of food, fuel, medicine, shekels which have entered Gaza, not even taking a lull during the 'operation'! What other (crazy) leadership does such a thing, allows a 'timeout' from warfare, as if they were social workers, instead of fighting for their citizens lives?

By the way Mr. Peacnik, the war did not make a difference because the goal was NOT to attain victory. The goal was to demonstrate that the IDF could still inflict damage, but they were never instructed to win. Why? Because to do so would then prove, beyond a shadow of a (leftist's) doubt that there IS a military solution. Further, Obama was being crowned the US's new savior, therefore, it was a no brainer for our 'elite' that the mission would NOT be accomplished, as this would disturb the new President.

Do these small minds believe that Israel wants wars? All the leftists abroad just hate Israel. Domestic leftists think it's fashionable to follow these bigots and therefore stab Israel in the back. Your kind tie the hands of IDF and then shout "IDF lost the war". The war has made a difference: Now when we threaten to attack the Arabs are scared. They don't send their children to play football in the battlefield anymore. For now. Complete disregard of human shields' lives is the only solution to Hamas hindrance among civilians. They will stop using human shields only if we stop rewarding them for that.

Every society produces trash.

What movie were you watching? Your statement, quote: "Let's try to reconstruct the events: The State of Israel chose not to accept Hamas' proposals for extending the lull" unquote , is a fiction. Hamas came out and said at the end of the 6 months lull that they do not want to extend it and started firing rockets on Israel. Are you so desperate to make a point that you need to lie and cheat? Typical liberal spin.........., pretty pathetic.

Mr Matar must be smoking some good grass , in order to come up with his opinion. People like him would have tried to appease A Hitler , no matter what. The fact that this same Hamas calls for our destruction , is off no importance to him and his buddies. And as usual Mr Matar will be active in Tel Aviv and surroundings while never setting a foot in the south , because that would be to dangerous. Either he should move to Gaza to show solidarity or to Amsterdam were his opinions would do well in the coffeshops there.

On the contrary! This actually makes them even MORE GUILTY. It was their nefarious influence and suicidal Israel and government bashing that actually STOPPED the army one step BEFORE anihilating Hamas. So yes dear Leftists traitors - we can only THANK YOU for preventing the IDF from performing its single MAIN duty: protecting Jewish and other Israelis civilians from the war criminals from Gaza. This makes YOU an accessory to their crimes. Yessir! You dear Leftists, you are as guilty of war crimes as the Hamas terrorists who keep targeting our civillians with rockets EVERY DAY! SHAME ON YOU!

All leftists, pack your s**t and leave Israel. You useless piece of junk, no good for nothing. Leave Israel and convert yourself to Christianity or Islam. Scumbags what’s your point of existence to protect interest of savages that want to kill jews and destroy our home land.

So,just give in to them,give peace and Hamas a chance,and there will be no more wars,because there will be no more Jews.It is true,they keep firing kasams,may be they need stonger doses of the same medicine.Hamas is getting money and arms from Persia,and propaganda support from people like you and your ilk in Europe and the USA.Isn't it strange ?,you have no paralel in the Hamas side,that would criticize the shelling of Shderot.

Really I do. I want to live in peace, and be able to go have humus with mushrooms in a Gaza restaurant, but we have radicals that want us destroyed. Just read the Hamas doctrine. The current government couldn't stick to it's objectives, and we saw a horrible outcome in Lebanon and Gaza. Now the new government will need to go back in and finish the job. I believe int he right to protest. I believe in the ability to let all speak and be heard, but remember this. The next time you are running for a bomb shelter in Ashkalon. It will be the IDF that will provide you the ability to protest in the future. We have yet to see Hamas change it's view on the call for the destruction of Israel. Letting them run rampant anywhere is suicide. Try protesting for the poor Palestinians labeled as collaborators, being shot in the knees and thrown off of buildings. Even Amnesty International has recognized their evil.

you said "The war has made a difference: Now when we threaten to attack the Arabs are scared" , this war didnt scare any one bear in mind.

second, did the left warn of missiles before pullout ??? those are twice traitors !!!

Israelis who are tired of feeling like friars as the Arabs fire rockets at the Negev came to the realization that simply strangling the strip was not enough--blood was required and lot's of it, tons of it. That's what was achieved--a huge pile of dead Arabs and a future Likud prime minister (despite Barak's attempt to demonstrate that he knows how to kill Arabs just as well as any right winger). Aside from this, and increased worldwide antipathy toward Israel, nothing seems to have been achieved. Oh well. I suppose all those dead Arabs will be forgotten soon enough, Bibi will be a fait compli and provide endless entertainment for the "leftitst press" and well all those poor galut Jews who are subject to hostility are just proof that the whole world hates us anyway and that we should make Aliyah--now there's a silver lining. End of my cynical (but accurate) rant.

I don't think that from the beginning, Barak really thought that he could wipe out Hamas and end the rocket fire. The main accomplishments were military/strategic - tunnels, warehouses and strongholds of the Hamas were more or less destroyed and that is something as well. However the writer brings up a point about whether or not the war was actually counterproductive. Its not very difficult to comprehend that every bomb dropped in Gaza plants a seed of hatred in another palestinian kid's mind. Eventually that kid will become either a Hamas thug or gunmen or many times even a suicide bomber. The right wing fanatics who regularly respond to these kinds of articles (like most of the ones above) find it hard to understand that the situation has not improved a great deal and so they resort to name calling and hate-mongering.

Dear Haggai, You are, as usual with people like you, trying to change reality! The only reason the Gaza Operation didn't achieve better results is that because of leftist politicians and a very good general but really mislead politician heading Defense, we didn't finish what we had to finish, we didn't humiliate Hamas. Be sure there is no occupation from Yesha more than from Tel Aviv and that people who hate Judaism, like you, are slowly reaching a dead end. Please try to open your eyes to reality, those arabs that demonstrated with you are our enemies, like it or not, yours also!

they called for the obliteration of the threat

Haggi Matar lies directly in his artical by saying that it was Israel that rejected a extention of the Gaza truce. IN fact it was Hamas that not only rejected the extention but continuiously violated the truce that it choose not to extend and then eventough Israel continued to observe the truse after it was rejected by Hamas, Hamas massave ly attacked defenless civilians. It's clear to me that Haggi Matar is not living on the front line but some whare safe

Where does Ynet find these ''journalists''???? Some professionalism would be appreciated.

This guy is a well known refusenik. In 2002, he refused to join the Israeli army. This fool believes Israel should do nothing, while Palestinians are slaughtering Israeli civilians on buses, shopping malls, disco's, pizzerias, Passover events and cafe's. If Israel listens to this fool, they will be speaking in Arabic

Congradulations, Mr. Matar, you proved your point, Israel can't stop the rockets militarily. However the only reason it can't do so is that peoploe sharing your ideology wield too much power in government and stop the military half-way. You proved that you're the reason we keep failing. By the way, the argument you're making is sort of like the argument Hamas makes to the Palestinians when we have to break off peace negotiations with them and start blocking their roads after a Hamas terror wave. " see", they say, we told you you can't negotiate with the Israeilis" Actually what they say sounds more like "Seeh Wuee Tuld Yoo, Yoo Kant Naghosheeayte with thuh Izraileez, but you get the point

Was a political one to defeat Hamas and to remove it from power to enable Fatah and the PA to get back in to power to enable a two state solution which would never have been possible with Hamas in power .As you know a Two state solution is not the aim of the right but of the left .I believe that this military operation was imposed on Israel by the US and the Quartet who controlled the war to enable the two state solution

You were called "traitors" because your actions support Israel's enemies over their innocent victims, not because those who supported the Gaza op expected it to completely end attacks. Given Hamas' complete refusal to accept Israel, to stop weapons smuggling, to stop attacks on Israel (you conveniently failed to mention the hundreds of attacks and attempted attacks that took place during the so-called "ceasefire"), or to even aim at soldiers and not civilians, your calls for "lifting the seige" and "genuine negotiations" are downright infantile. If you don't have any real ideas for the real world, why not just keep quiet for a change?

Haggai in 2002 (the bloodiest year of the Intifada, in which hundreds of Israelis were murdered in bombings): ""I'm always asked, 'Where is the Palestinian Peace Now?' Palestinians don't need a peace movement. Palestinians are oppressed. Their job is to fight for their freedom. Our job is to support them." and "Palestinian attacks on soldiers and settlers are legitimate." Why someone who believes it's legitimate to murder "settlers" (that's hundreds of thousands of civilians, far more than Israel has killed in every war combined) is given a platform by Ynet is beyond me.