Who thinks we won in Gaza? Our soldiers didn't even see combat. Once we went in, the Hamas uniforms came off. It was only a punishment.

What's you're pleasure here today, Michael? Will it be "wingnut", "shooting fish in a barrel", "shooting people holding white flags" or "phosphorous bombs"? Can't you come up with any NEW terms that you haven't been spouting 100 times per day for the past year? A comedian like you really needs some new material every once in a while, don't you think? Go ahead and call the author your usual barrage of names..."wingnut", "useful idiot", etc. After all, what does HE know about Gaza? He only sees Gaza from Sderot. You, on the other hand, watched the whole 3-week "war" on your magical little satellite T.V, the one that shows the big, bad Jewish soldiers bombing the poor, poor, peaceful, starving, white-flag-holding children of Gaza with phosphorous bombs. I'll bet Hamas would pay a pretty penny for your magical little satellite T.V. Perhaps you should put it up for bid on E-bay. ...See ya' in the next article. Shalom.

i do agree that barak should retire, he has done enough as a soldier, he has no fight left. Ashkenazi did the hard work while barak covered himself in case israel lost. He was against syrian nuclear reactorhit. he did nothing to stop gaza rockets except listen to olmert, an ignoramus without competition. Barak did nothing. Israelis do not want tohear him spout his politics. he was a bloody coward as prime miinister and let arab terror reach big proportions. IDF soldiers hated him. Ever since lebanon, he has become a lousy general. Yaalon is far better. Yes the next round, idf should erase hamas leadership.

...the opportunity has been there for years. Israel is holding it up. Israel is collectively punishing the Gazans. And if you think Cast Lead II would be allowed to take place you had better think again. President Obama just about has his health care plan dealt with.

The PA's main support is 1.5M non-refugees, the refugees gain little in 2 state solution. Set aside 5% of Israel, W. Bank and Gaza to resettle refugees on, then 2 state solution would have a chance. The problem is that give any land to refugees put them in conflict with Jewish setters and a greater Israel. Even a 2 state solution is a danger to Israel in restricting its room to grow and become the nation of 2000yrs ago. Dreams are hard to beat, it took Jews 2000yrs how long will it take the refugees to regain their land? People in camps have little to lose so give them something even if smaller than what they want, it is still something to lose.

There is no such thing as "winning" in a war against urban terrorists. You'll be the ever-loving crap out of them, they'll look you in the face, smile through the pain with blood dripping down their face, and tell you "ha ha, we beat you". Hezbollah will start a war, cause a thousand deaths, and get a ceasefire with 25000 Israeli troops on Lebanese soil, billions of dollars in damage, and without a single Hezbollah fighter fighting on the Israeli side of the border will look at the cameras from atop a pile of Lebanese dead and say "ha ha, we beat you." Actually, we beat up Hamas badly, and put the thought in their mind that if they fire a lot of rockets, we'll come do it again. But, of course, if they only shoot a few here and there, well, we'll drop a bomb in the sand of the border and try to collapse one or two out of hundreds of smuggling tunnels. We're definitely suckers, but very few Israelis think we "won" the battle against Hamas.

I never heard of!

Hamas has always been open and direct about its intentions. They have never pretended that a cease-fire is anything other than a temporary pause to regain strength, never suggested that they would accept the presence of the Jewish state. Now they say that they believe they will be ready for the next round in about a year and so that’s how long the want the cease-fire to be… The rulers of Gaza are war criminals! More at : http://xrl.us/bgrabk

Yes a nice review, your probably right of course, but the dimensions of this insane game are unknown,but to only a few. What israel is playing at who knows, Will have cast lead detered the hamas organization, I think out of any thing they have been shown that there is a growing amount of support for determination on the part of israel world wide. The current protests by palestinians are only a smoke screen to show that there is more support than there is actually amongs our enemies. The jewish state made it clear from cast lead that there is more support to hit hamas than there is to rally against israel. So it continues. Your points are clearly placed about objectives strategically, As haveing a war with another people is a truly complex annomoly, the goals cant always be applied, but it surly has concluded that the state of israel really does exist to the hamas government and a change in there stance is a much needed goal to them and especially to us. Most negotiatiotons can be made after a fight, because hamas knows very well when they start a fight with israel its a fight they can never win , which ultimatley knows it can only loose. mentaly we can only hope at this stage the hamas people will change there ideas otherwise next time they will be forced to, one way or the other, and they also know this very very much. So if there seems to be a false sense of security provided in its current form to the south, its not such a bad thing, I think people must be starting regroup and so on , its only natural, it really is a victory for the people of israel, afterall its the goal of hamas to make the jewish people suffer which is meant to reflect the image of a stupid israeli government that is helpless at the hands of the terrorists. This surely if a possible outcome would promote a terrorist state with terrorist ways in total, and would have been a true win for the terrorist as if the jewish people in israel beleive there is a stupid goverment in power helpless to the terrorists , this then works as mechanism to sway the mentality of jews against there goverment , which is the goal of hamas in the first place, causeing political turmail in israel at will, when and how ever thy want. But it did not happen, therfore its the eventuall demise of the terrorist , hamas, alqeda, iran ect........,

Clearly more achievements have been acheived from the 2006 Lebanon War than the Gaza War. Hezbollah hasnt shot at us even once since August 2006, the last 3 years were the quietest its ever been in Israel's northern border over the last 40 years, Hezbollah wont dare kidnap again, Nasrallah is still in a bunker like a rat, and much more. But after the Gaza war, Hamas keeps on shooting rockets, threatens to kidnap more soldiers, the residents of southern Israel are still scared. Deterrence was achieved in Gaza, but was achieved more, much much more in Lebanon

Think for a second... if we had toppled Hamas, we would have been forced to take over administrative responsibility over the Arabs there again. With the exception of maybe Meretz, I can't think of a single Israeli political party that would advocate a return to that situation. The only other viable solution would have been to have convinced Jordan to annex Gaza. Jordan has always needed and sought a port on the Mediterranean Sea and for a while viewed Gaza as their sole hope in making this possible. Given the fact, however, that the population in Gaza is too radicalized for Jordan to rule effectively, this proposal is dead in the water for the time being. After all is said and done, my opinion is that it was best to let Hamas exist as a humbled shell as its former self. Our restraint and Egyptian support for our actions only amplified Hamas' weakness and isolation. Cast Lead gave Hamas enough rope to hang itself and it is slowly beginning to do so. At home and within the Arab world, the noose is tightening around the "Palestinian Resistance" and people are realizing that it's better to be friends with productive Israelis than with backward "Palestinians"...

being launched into Israel. What silly ideas, long term goals, just kill the killers and be happy.

there is one fact in this article ..it is the failers ..it is the leaders ..... but sure the solve will not by more and more victims ... for example bomb of buses and markets in israil were stoped becouse it is on normal or ordinary people by logic it is terror and what israil did in gaza was the same it was terror i think leaders must change their openion about this war .as i said force do not change only the force

listen to what he says ...as i do not remember your name but your post is funny

peace" with an organization (Hamas) whose charter demands the destruction and extinction of Israel. Even a two-bit socalled journalist like you should have been able to comprehend that logic. But, "Yes", I recall, since the demise of BBSNews and the separation from partner, Kandy Ringer, you've been losing it and we, on Ynet, have to suffer the consequences. Why not try a private psychologist, Mike?

AND WHAT YOU GUYS TALK ABOUT ! IF ISRAEL WAS SUCCESFULL THERE OR NOT ! *** 1. israel made big mistakes in gaza. ...a) world biggest terror ...b) world biggest mercyless ...c) world biggest shame 2. hamas made big mistakes there ... a) hamas could arrenge its people TO WAR AGAINST ISRAEL UNTIL THEIR OWN DEATH ! ( if all people of gaza would fight instead of staying home ! WORLD COULD GIVEN HELP THEM. WORLD NEEDS TO SEE MUCH MORE DEADS. THAN WORLD WOULD INVOLVE. ...b) hamas would give better resistance instead of hiding as chickens. 3. WORLD MADE SERIOUS MISTAKES FOR GAZA ...a) they just watched. ...b) not just one day ...C) THEY WATCED 20 SOMETHING DAYS LONG. 4. IRAN DIDNT HELP. IRAN FAILED IN THE WORLD EYES. 5. HIZBULLAH DIDNT HELP. HIZBULLAH FAILED IN WORLD EYES: 6. OBAMA JUST WATCHED. ISRAEL DISRESPECTED OBAMA. ISRAEL HURTED OBAMA WHILE WALKING TO WHITE HOUSE. OBAMA IS AROUIND NOW. BUT NO REVANGE FROM ISRAEL. OBAMA FAILED TOO. 7. PENGUEN EUROPE COUNTRIES FAILED. 8. PAKISTAN, INDIA FAILED. 9. RUSSIA FAILED. 10. CHINE , N. KOREA FAILED. and I failed too. as a person I didnt do anything but just posts around and some talks on radios.

BBSNews # 4 talksback from occupied Charlotte, North Carolina. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that America is built by illegal settlers who stole the land from its rightful owners, conducted ethnic cleansing and genocide, and built the mightiest nation on earth on the blood and graves of the people they took the land from. So, according to BBSNews' previous postings, he should be immediately stopping his illegal settlement activities, handing his house over to its rightful owners (the native Americans) and getting his rearend back to wherever it is his great grandpappy came from. Right, BBSNews?

Elner is correct, Israel was defeated in Cast Lead. Shalit is still being held, and Israel has agreed to capitulate to Hamas and release thousands of murderers, making mockery of the Israeli courts. Israel leaders Barak, Livni and Olmert are accused war criminals afraid to go to trial. Livni even canceled a trip because she feared arrest. Hamas has gained international recognition, massive funding and is militarily stronger than ever. The truth is, even Barak knows Israel was defeated, he just does not want to admit that he is a total failure. He engineered the destruction of the SLA, paving the way for Hezbolla to take over Lebanon. His failures brought in the second intifada.

any rate, refuses correction, let's start with his tired old use of 1) "occupied territories". The more accurate term is "disputed territories". Need proof? I'd be happy to offer it. 2) The socalled "brutal oppression" of Palestinians in Samaria and Judea is no where to be seen if one were to actually gaze on the scene as economic activity is thriving. Given that the eponymous "Matty", our resident armchair commentator and expert, has never been to the mideast, I'd refer him to the latest piece by Tom Gross, an actual mideast commentator and journalist, who has written on the subject of his latest visit. 3) Yes, we were at war with Hamas in Gaza as we were under eight years of attack (I and my grandchildren were actual targets) and we needed to do what we had to do to survive and stop our enemy from ever launching another missile or rocket. Jewish people have had to learn this lesson well. Our major problem is, however, that we didn't take out the whole leadership as Hamas is an enemy whose charter says it wants our complete eradication and therefore we will likely have to fight them again

Robert I am not going to bother read or rubbish your latest post. What I will do however is refer you back to: Article: “Abbas' intentions again revealed” (post #35) Robert when you can finish a previous conversation and answer this simple question then and only then will you have any credence. Until then you have no merit and are just a waste of time.

Michael Hess freely identifies himself as "Cherokee". Well, the Cherokees were exiled and sent out west over one hundred years ago in what is known as the "Trail of Tears". Remnants were left on the eastern seaboard. At this point, in the eastern part of the USA, the Cherokee blood is so thinned out as to make anyone who identifies himself as "Cherokee", as does the erstwhile Mike Hess, a bit of a spoofer. Just look at the "Native Indians" in Connecticut who own the rights to the land upon which those two casinos are built, blonde and blue-eyed as can be. More to the point, in what way is Mike's connection to his thin blooded identification with the Cherokee nation carried on culturally? Other than declaiming the "fact" that he is Cherokee, a "fact" reinforced by an associate Talkbacker (you) who has never met him, there is no evidence of Mike's Cherokee connection whatsoever. It does appear convenient for him, however, just as it does for those blue-eyed Indians in Connecticut. If you want to get a real feel for contemporary Indian life, incidentally, then you'd have to come out west to the plains in America or to the prairies in Canada where it really lives.

You claim “ending the occupation and establishing an independent state of Palestine will end the violence” Additionally how do you define an end to the occupation? Since you view Gaza as currently occupied is their anyway you could see the occupation as over without an agreement? If so how? These questions are not made to offend I am simply curious how you think since it is far different from myself.

I currently cannot see a way forward in Gaza, Hamas is uninterested in any final peace agreement as it goes against their charter, Israeli reoccupation of Gaza will be a costly step back which could lead to a host of new problems, and simply ending the naval and air blockade of the strip will greatly endanger civilians on both sides as more powerful weapons will be shipped in which could escalate into a larger conflict. On the other hand if an international NATO force performs an operation similar to what is occurring in Afghanistan, removing the current regime, rebuilding the infrastructure and forces from the ground up and establishing free and fair system of elections. Granted it is not working so well in Afghanistan, but Gaza due to its size and population would be far easier and manageable. Then sometime in the future if/when a Palestinian state is established in the West Bank those in Gaza can decide to unite or stay spate. In the mean time lives on both sides will greatly improve.

is what this so-called Leadership Institute is. Unless he means leading the Israelis, like lemmings, off a cliff. But then again, he is a thief living on ethnically cleansed land. So, expecting a clear eyed vision and promoting peace and justice for all humanity is too much to ask from such an intellectual dwarf.

the point. A people are not only made up of racial and genetic characteristics but also be characterized by the bind of their cultural and archetypal ones. In the case of the Hebrew people, the latter is evident in our Creation story, in the stories of our exiles and subsequent rescues, in our collective challenges to survive including the story of the Holocaust and now with respect to the ingathering of our people to Israel. I've tried toexplain this to you before and referred you to Carl Jung from Switzerland, former contemporary of Sigmund Freud, but you simply don't get it and, I'm afraid, lack the cognitive ingredients which would help you to "get it". You're also what I refer to as a lazy intellect who refuses to leave the comfort of his self-deceptions. The truth is, when you first appeared on Ynet I was mislead and thought you possessed some promise and even invited you to correspond with me. I was wrong, however.