There was a Cold War joke: "The optimists are learning Russian, the pessimists are learning Chinese." A new version for our age it would be: "A few optimists are learning Turkish, but the pessimists are leaning Arabic. A few who have given up all hope are learning Persian." (Or is it Iranian? With the Greek god of war Irene that may be more fitting.)

I am very pleased to read such a wise article. Specially I love the histeric reactions in the talkback. Great article Mr Mattar, write more of these articles, its a pleasure to read a dissident voice........

I think Haggai must be crazy. The Hamas terrorists already said they'll NEVER accept the existence of the state of Israel. How can you talk to those guys? You should stop smoking Cannabis.

You start your article with "I don't think that from the beginning, Barak really thought that he could wipe out Hamas and end the rocket fire", that's why the war didn't do anything, because we didn't even try, because we thought we couldn't. The rocket fire can be ended, Gaza can be occupied, the Hamasnics, purged, and thje terror ended; it won't be pretty, in fact it will be very ugly, it'll probably cost ten thousand people, mostly militants, their lives, but it is the only way to end the rocket fire and prevent a lot more ugliness. We killed nearly 2000 people in this attack, many of them innocent and Hamas can recover from it in a half a year at most, that means that we're going to have to kill ten thousand people every year and a half, and that's not even counting the people who die in the tit-for-tat between operations; do you want that, because I sure don't, blood-thirsty fanatic that I am. As for the operation planting seeds of hatred, no argument there, but keep in mind that seeds of hatred can be planted as effictively by indoctrination as by bombs, if nopt more so. The Hamasniks teach their children to be suicide bombers from the age of five; unlike us they are not taught to question authority, think critically, and make their own decisions, so they cannot break out of this cycle by themselves. So long as the current Palestinian leadership and the society that supports it are in power we will face a steady stream of terrorists no matter what we do. If we destroy the Hamas and conquer Gaza a generation of Palestinians will hate us, but that generation will hate us any-way; the conquest will allow us to raise a new generation that doesn't hate us (like they did in post-war Germany) a generation that we don't have to bomb into oblivion to stay alive You have the very best intention Edan, but they will lead to a bloody hell

You're a brave, courageous one, not scared to face the so uncomfortable truth. From the outside, all you say seems so obvious of course, for one preserved from the army and official propaganda, not emotionnally implied and with many different sources of information. But from where you are, from your side, i guess it costs you much to face the truth and tell it and you are, just like all the refuzeniks, a true hero.

The one assumpation by Hagar that seems entirely ludicrous to my reading, is that Israel refused a Hamas offer to extend the "lull". My understanding is that Israel did not attack militarily until 9 days following the end of the officially negotiated cease-fire, but that Hamas and other factions incrementally escalated their shelling first of the desert, then Sderot, then Ashkelon, then Beersheba, thereby INSISTING that Israel respond militarily.

One only has to look at Mr.Mataer's picture to know his point of view.

it sure scared nasrallah enough to constantly say "no, we do not want war with israel now>>>" when nasrallah saw the results of the war in gaza, he ran back with his tail between his legs, back to the bunker he has been hiding in for over 2 years now. if he is not afraid, as you say, and if the hamas leaders were not afraid, as you say, during the gaza war, how come nasrallah has not gone out and lived a normal life in lebanon???? how come the hamas leadership left all its "fighters" to face the idf alone while the hamas leaders protected themselves under shifa hospital runnels and bunkers and never faught along side their fighters??? where were the hamas leaders for 23 days? no one say them. is that what leaders do in times of war???? do you see israeli leaders of the army abandoning their troops and disappearing to protect themselves in bunkers???? these "leaders" are nothing more than cowards and loosers. they would never sacrifice themselves and choose others to die instead of them. shame, not pride!

Unfortunately Israel was sold out again by Its leaders. Can there be peace ? Absolutely, however Gaza has to be turned into a Dresden first. Wimps will never be able to determine the fate of Israel because their opponents only appreciate strength..

Haggai, the people whom you are defending don't just think or say what my headline states. They actively work toward this goal. Why should we listen to you? We're too busy listening for air raid sirens? You are right about the war achieving nothing. But it is because the IDF did not finish the job. Like antibiotics that are taken for two days instead of 5, what should be the cure for the disease becomes what makes the situation worse. (BTW, that is a metaphor with no intention to compare human beings with baceria if you were hoping to latch onto something.) We did not do enough. So the problem is now greater. Your facts are off about the "lull". Rocket fire at Israeli civilan targets increase BEFORE 'Cast Lead'. This justified defensive action. It justified far more action than the Israeli govt. was willing to take because of the political situation. So now, we are back to where we started. Haggai, I'm sorry that the press marginalized your cause. I would have also liked to have had the opportunity to throw an egg at you. Maybe next time. ;-)

It set a bloody price for the Palestinians, for attacking Israeli citizens. The problem was Israel's hesitance in upholding the deterrence achieved after the war - at the first Kassam fired, the IDF should have done heavy shelling of the entire area within 1 km radius of the launch. Therefore the only way to regain our deterrence is to open up a can of whoopass again in Gaza. It would work very well if we show balls and continue with it at all times, not just as a one-time operation. As for Matar's assertion that unless we lift the siege, free all Palestinian murderers and withdraw back to the 1967 borders, we would have another war - well, every semi-sane Israeli has already learned very well the Palestinians' intention for us, after we were duped so embarrasingly in Oslo. Wye, Camp David and the Disengagement also served as reminders. It is clear that this loony hasn't been living on this planet in the past 15 years, but in lala-land with the rest of his whacky leftist buddies.

diet of prejudice and hate along with money and intimidation that recruited for Hamas.

In the UK we have a fine assortment of left wing Jewish groups including Jews for Justice for Palestinians ,a toxic mix of academics ,writers and stage door luvvies .They tend to make their angst ridden pronouncements on the state of Israel from the gentle leafy foothills of upmarket Hampstead far from the reality of Southern Israel.They recently invited Moazeem Begg to give a talk in Hampstead Town Hall .Begg was caught by the Americans in 2002 in Tora Bora on the way to his 3rd cousins wedding. [Personally I think the Dorchester is always good for a simcha] He was later released from Gitmo on the basis he was only a foot soldier and that his release as a Brit would cut Tony Blair a little slack from his own leftie back benchers.So here we have the surreal spectacle of a Jihadist and Jew hater rubbing shoulders with Britains 'Jewish elite .' Mr Begg spoke of the violation of his human rights during his incarceration in Gitmo , a cause which had been fervently embraced by our erstwhile friends from JFJP. I posed a number of questions including why he he had been in contact with other Jihadists prior to his departure for Afghanistan and whether they had perhaps been invited to the same wedding. A second question to the panel enquiring why they did not see fit to include the human rights of the victims of Palestinian terror and indeed British victims in the debate received a 'auto response one liner ' Unfortunately what these people fail to realise is that in their headlong rush to be seen to merge and assimilate and ingratiate themselves within the wider non Jewish community they are prepared to jettison their very roots.For all to many of them their Jewishness is an embarrassement and something to be denied ,They are able to do this by denying the very rights of their fellow Jews in Israel and find it necessary to apologise for Israels existance . They march alongside Galloway and other Israel deniers .Perhaps they draw a line at chanting 'We rae all Hamas Now '.Perhaps not . One thing for sure is that like the assimilated elitist Jews of pre war Germany who embraced the works of Beethoven and Goethe ,they still entered the gas chambers, If the truth be known ,these people are useful tools and fools to be used by the Muslims and other associated Jew haters in their war against Israel and Jews in general.

Matar does himself a disservice by telling half the story. That means he's telling half the truth, and that's not journalism - that's propaganda. Matar writes "As opposed to common perception, they [the crossings] were not really open before that. " Of course the border crossing were not really open before then - but why?!? Matar fails to mention that Hamas and Islamic Jihad repeatedly attacked the crossings in a bid to close them down. They killed both Israelis and Palestinians in their repeated attacks on the border crossings. They cried for fuel for their generators, but then they shot and killed an Israeli who was working at the border fuel transfer depot. Why did Matar omit these crucial facts? Matar also didn't write how Hamas succeeded in shutting down the Erez industrial zone - an island of successful cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians that employed some 2000 Palestinian workers. Hamas hates Israel so much it's willing to kill its own people and throw them out of work in order to wage its war. Yes, the crossings were and are closed because of Palestinian aggression (yes, attacking border crossings and firing rockets at civilians is aggression). Matar writes here not as a journalist, but as an "anti-war anti-siege activist"? Just what is that? I don't understand because it looks like Matar is a pro-Hamas and therefore pro-war lobbyist.

About 750 mamas gunmen were killed. And you know what? You are right about one thing... Not one life of a israeli soldier is worth it. But in a war both sides have to pay the price. So in a simple math its 130/1 I only hope that the next time around we shell cause more damage to this sons of bitches and hopefully waste them all!

This pseudo-jouranlist do not know how to tell the truth. He has written a BIG lie, and I'm suprised that no-one even saw it : "Let's try to reconstruct the events: The State of Israel chose not to accept Hamas' proposals for extending the lull" Unless my brain is sick, it was the hamas who chose to keep on attacking and refusing any proposal of lull... He wrote all his article starting with this "fact". So the rest worth less than nothing. What a surprise.

Because it wasn't a big lie. Actually, Israel broke the lull by keeping on assassinting Hamas leaders and people around them, months before the end of he lull, and before the first Qassam fell on israel.

Five days after the beginning of the lull, 3 rockets and a mortar where fired on israel : http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3559761,00.html Where they already an answer of Tsahal on gaza ? The answer is no. And in the agreement, the hamas had the obligations of preventing any attack. Yet, all the terrorists factions have either direct relations with hamas, or they must hide themselves. But the hamas truly rules, nothing happens without him knowing. Each lie is already too much. Do not add others.

Leftists solution. fighting doesn't help against Islamic countries' constant attack. Iran and Hamas and Hizbollah are too powerful to confront. so why fight and let some poor Moslems die? Maybe weak little Israel needs to learn suicide bombing against its great number of enemies instead of sitting and watching as they throw rockets at it? Sometimes Moslems are not bad teachers.

what was the response when we left gaza by the orders of mr. sharon did we get piece or did we get rockets?.