What went wrong in Gaza was that the IDf stopped too soon. It had Hamas on the run..just as it did in South Lebanon. But the typical anti-Israel forces responded, as expected, calling for an immediate cease fire and withdrawal..which Israel did. It's like a bacteria. If you don't kill it thoroughly, it comes back harder and more deadly. Hamas/Hez are bacteria...it's obvious their plan of action..surround, irritate, confuse, prick, and ultimately (with Iran/Syria) destroy. Israel, with it's mighty army is still vulnerable (per Bibi). I wonder if it believes it is at war sometimes?

If Hamas is being rearmed by the tunnels then mainly the Gaza people are being punished by the blockade. It seem to me based on this article that the blockade it to pressure the Gazaians to remove Hamas but with Hamas being rearmed by the tunnels then they are too strong.

I know that the author will recieve some cash into his bank account for writing this rubbish, but i am wondering if he asked himself how his article would benefit the Israeli reader??!! As usual, its the terrorist arabs and the biased international community and antisemits all working against the poor civilized jews (G*d's chosen people) who never ever done a mistake in their entire lives, nor killed civilians or occupied other people's land, its always OTHERS mistake, isnt it? Keep on wiriting, good on you.

No person is perfect, far from it. But a sober lesson from hezbollah and gaza wars is never to install a crooked coward like ehud olmert in power ever again. Everything he touched turned to rot. Take the hezbollah war, winograd condemned him. And he made no attempt to change the laws of war internationally as it had recommended. he offered wild concessions in return for nothing. Now abbas says lets start from olmert and by the way so does obama say it. He used islamic erdogan in bed with assad as a conduit and offered to give the golan away for vague statements. Meanwhile he got 60 rockets daily from hamas where hlimited idf to a 1000 yard entry into gaza. While sali merridor who is out of his mind, says Olmert was a great PM, israel was mocked, attacked in the press by everybody. The more concessions olmert offered, the more israel was attacked so olmert increased the offer. Everyone now knows olmert is going to jail. Do not elect such cowards including ramon, livni to the PM office ever again.

For years now, I have been advocating sealing off the corridor which allows arms to be smuggled from Egypt. Israel moves 1step fwd, 3 steps back, each time it bombs a tunnel, which it does frequently. Professional diggers, as we know, are involved. When the Iranian Fajrs are fired, they will hit much farther into Israel. Israel, typically, is defensive, justifying Operation Cast Lead..with few supporters. Even the Deputy P.M. and UN Ambassador know it's an uphill fight. Israel does not garner sympathy at all, except among it's Jewish supporters..and these are slowly diminishing (read J St.). Israel is confused..it wants it both ways..which cannot succeed. To Israel: block the Philadelpi routes, once and for all. Then let the chips fall.

The author is right in everything he wrote. His analysis is excellent. The problem is, knowing all of this, so what? Part of the cease fire with Hamas involved the ending of smuggling. The smuggling continues both from Egypt AND from Syria into Lebanon. Israel is like the boy who cried wolf..sooner or later it will be eaten up. "War crimes", "Disproportionate responses", "Collateral damage", etc., have become trite to our ears, but still have confused Israel, and tied it's hands. We hear "Resistance to the occupation" from Hamas leaders. Resistance is the buzz word, negating anything Israel does to counter the violence. Israel left the Strip, so where is the occupation. The only Jew there is Shalit (3 yrs)., whose 3min video allowed 20 terrorists to be freed prematurely. My advice..capital punishment for murderers and BLOCK THAT CORRIDOR, USE SOME OF YOUR 1M RESERVISTS..IT'S GODD FOR ISRAEL.

Military victories over well-funded terrorists and tyrants who enjoy popular support cannot be final, YES IT CAN - IF THEY ARE EXTERMINATED. FROM - Military victories over well-funded terrorists and tyrants who enjoy popular support cannot be final, but they are a step forward in the struggle for civilization. Threatened by a virulent form of Islam, Jihadism, the world cannot afford to ignore that danger. "My greatest hope," said a Hamas supporter in Gaza interviewed on CNN during the war "is that my son will become a shahid (martyr)," as a young boy standing next to him smiled obediently. For those who believe that negotiations with Hamas will bring peace and that diplomatic agreements are substantial, these words teach an unforgettable lesson. GO TO HELL - EGYPT !!!. Without the supply of weapons, Hamas could not sustain a military confrontation, or fire rockets into Israel. Hundreds of tunnels under the little town of Rafah that straddles the border between Egypt and Gaza could easily have been closed by Egypt. Enabling the smugglers, Egyptian President Mubarak allows Hamas to attack Israel without incurring any blame, portrays himself as helping Palestinians, and keeps the radical Muslim Brotherhood (with which Hamas is allied) off his back; the kickbacks are also nice. - Lessons learned? Forced to make cosmetic touches, Egypt refuses to stop its Bedouin smugglers in Sinai. Hamas receives support from around the world. Families of the bereaved and wounded mourn. Arn-Orao.

the author is an ex-professor. If he taught as poorly as he reasons I feel sorry for his ex-students. The disengagement was a farce because Israel never really disengaged. They turned Gaza into a vast open air prison and immediately imposed a blockade. Of course, to this apologist, such facts do not matter. Also, during the truce with Hamas, missile firings into Israel dwindled to almost nothing. It wasn't until Israel broke th truce in November and killed Hamas personnel that the rockets began to fly again. Of course, while the truce lasted, Israle maintained the bliockade and even tightened it but that fact also seems to elude the writer. It appears that the blockade, which still is continuing, and any other 'collective' punishment is fine with Israel as long as they are the victimizers. By the way, if you don't believe ne on the hoary old 'thousands of missiles' myth, check out the IDF's own figures.

I guess i can come to your house and try to shoot you just 3 or 2 times a day, that would be okay, right? it's 'almost nothing'

Since gazans are in fact Egyptians settlers, they cannot claim to be imprisoned when on one side they border their homeland-- they can go home to Egypt, where most of them have extended families.

Article makes important points. When Israel defends itself it is condemned and whe Israel does not defend itself it puts itself at serious security risk its citizens.A nation must first anf formost defend its citizens.

Quote :” Enabling the smugglers, Egyptian President Mubarak allows Hamas to attack Israel without incurring any blame, ..” That means that Egypt is part of the problem. Taking that into account, giving back (by Israel) of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt was a stupid action (of Israel). I think that Israel should demand from the United States and the EU that they (i.e. USA and EU) put pressure on Egypt to stop the smugglers. ADVICE to Israel : IF the USA and EU hesitates in doing the above, then Israel should consider TAKING BACK the whole of the Sinai Peninsula from the Egyptians -- once again.

Quote :” Reportedly offered a thousand Palestinian (Arab) prisoners, most of them convicted murderers, ..” ONLY three Palestinian Arab prisoners should be exchanged with Gilad Shalit. Why only 3, and not 300 ? Because we want to give the Palestinian Arabs an higher self-esteem. By exchanging Gilad Shalit with 300 Palestinian Arabs -- that means that the Palestinian Arabs have a VERY low self-esteem. BTW in case Soldier Gilad Shalit is not alive, those 3 Palestinian Arab prisoners should be transferred to Hamas NOT alive -- but dead !!!

What do you have to say, Mohammad, about killing innocent people and occupying someone else´s land? Have you forgotten the 30000-palestinians-slaughter that King Hussein fulfilled in that 1970 Black September? And you pretend to teach Israel lessons about morale and ethics?

No country in the world is required to supplying anything to any territory that is not within their own country. This is just a stupid as America staying in Iraq and Afghanistan after winning. Why in the world are democracies so stupid? We should not be feeding and providing aid to people that hate our guts.

"The disengagement was a farce because Israel never really disengaged. They turned Gaza into a vast open air prison and immediately imposed a blockade." Not ONE SINGLE Jew remained in Gaza after the disengagement. Why on Earth should Israel keep its border with Gaza open?

and never will be. Their idealogy allow will never allow it to be. We need peace with neighbours who will also show tolerance, respect, dignity, values for freedom of speech, religion, respect for humankind. Hamas views Israel as only an abject they want to murder. Israelis have no illusions here. The Palestinians are kidding themselves , they are as divided by values and goals as ever (Lebanon was a mash of different Palestinian factions all warmongoering with each other) If nothing changes in the middle east then war is inevitable someday. We can only hope but hope is not enough to make peace- true hard core changes are needed.

Ruling over millions of people by brute force fo the past 42 years is being a tyrant. The whole sees us as the main tyrants in this region, crtainly the the most powerful tyrants. If we want to be a democratic state and be recognised as suc, it is time we ended the occupation!