Excellent perspective! One step above most other media stories.

you are so right in your analysis. credit should be given to netanyahu and lieberman,who have quietly and not so quietly given the world the impression that israel will not be pushed around

there is some self deception on the authors part. Time will tell.

I am proud to call you a brother. With strength like yours, I can only fantasize about the future of our people. There is nothing so clear and pure as the truth, and you speak it here.

...the total annihilation of the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel. They have attempted to reach this goal several times by the use of coalitions of states and their armed forces, e.g. 1948, 1967, 1973. They have attempted to achieve their aim through an on-going war-of-attrition-through-terror against the Jewish community of the country. This war commenced in 1920 and is yet to cease. They have attempted diplomatic, legal, economic and even demographic methods by which to bring Israel's demise and with it all aspect of Jewish life in it. And now they are forming once again a ring of armed forces to surround Israel and attack it in concert with each other. The coalition members are Iran-Hizballah-IslamicJihad-Hamas-Syria, and there is little doubt the entire Muslim-Arab world will stand behind such a coalition in its despicable endeavor. Perhaps Israel's critics should keep in mind, before they come to spew venom at the Jewish state: The now only 5.5 million Jews, living in their UN nation-state which is the size of Wales, Slovenia or New Jersey and with no natural resources but its people, have had to endure this 62 year old attempt by the Muslim-Arab world, day in and day out. Would any other country put up with such a situation...??

We can only hope that those who are "crazy" enough to stand up and defend their country outnumber the self-proclaimed "peace"-makers both in the gov't and the opposition. We can only hope that those MK's who spend most of their time undermining Lieberman and meeting with J Street delegations will find something better to do once they lose their seats and we can only hope that they lose them sooner, not later.

Stage 2 is to infiltrate Syria and Iran with an expanded intelligence effort rivaling the Netherlands' BVD service, and create the proper choke points - mirroring data packets on Tehran and Damascus' government networks for analysis, obtaining any other defense-system frequencies not already known, and obviously, uncovering the location of key thugs whose homes might subsequently suffer a 'gas-line explosion.' Send the Assad family packing for a long exile in Mother Russia, and maybe Nasrallah and his chimp cousin Ahmadinejad can busy themselves throwing excrement at each other in a nature exhibit.

the metal, that was melted away by the world's opprobrium, is back.

He understands Middle Eastern politics. "We should recall that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah has been hiding for three and a half years now" - A lot of westerners forget that.

i believe israel is gong to be demolished one of these days by the arab world.

Yes it is!! You ain't just a whistling Dixie brother.....regards...Gregg Bowman

Really you need to lift morale after the speech by Alsayyed Nasrallah I have followed Mr. Nasrallah's speech not only a language of words but also his body language did not show any fear but full confidence in a decisive victory . But who said that Jordan is Palestine can even lie on himself:(

how the mighty have fallen

Maybe this is the solution. I hear that 80% of Jordanians are "palestinian". Israel is too strong,

I was wondering why it is peaceful in Israel and this article explains the positive outcome of fighting back when attacked by your enemies.

i agree and usually in Arab societies if they dont have a story they make one up and they start believing it, also they are very paranoid, and they only submit to fear coz thats how all Arab governments rule, they threaten and implant fear in their citizens, in an Arab state, even if they take your rights you must be silent and submit like a slave to your master and when someone like me shows up and starts bitching and fighting back they look at me with disdain and question and start calling me a zionist etc. oh well I am here to stay and change alot of things. time for an upgrade dont you guys think so?

We still have a PC gov't, listening too much and seeking approval from Europe and the world. Victory is too hit the enemy so hard that they give an unconditional surrender. Then you sign peace and start building positive relations with the Arab states. Why is the US friends with Japan today, when during the Pacific War, the hate was so strong, that both sides failed to recognize the other side as humans? The US saved the Japanese people by killing them and bringing the Japanese empire to her knees. Today, instead of unit 731 and the horrors Japan brought to Pacific nations, Japan is contributing positively to the world.

in the cemetery. This has been the most peaceful year because they now see Israel will destroy her enemies if they attack her.(based on Leb2006 and Cast Lead). Please,Israel, carry on training to destroy our enemies and confound their evil plans!!! Today Israel is at the pinacle of respect for its self defence-hence all the LAWFARE. NEVER SWAP SHALIT FOR KILLERS!!!

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Dubai hit, the War against Gaza, the War against Hezbollah, dati soldiers refusing orders, a Foreign Ministry run by men who are either convicted fraudsters or bigots, the grinding loss of allies, all this THEY know and are no longer frightened of us. Why should they be, as long as we blunder along like this. Will reality bite only after the next accumulation of innocent Israeli bodybags?

Finally a journalist with a clear grasp of geopolitical strategy who is avoiding cliches and trendy nonsense. Well-written article Guy, in line with scientific theory of armed conflicts.

Learn some history - the only ally we had between 1948 and 1967 was France, and Charles de Gaulle abandoned Israel when he declared an arms embargo on Israel a scant three days before the Six Day War broke out. It was so bad that the state turned to do business with unsavory types of that time like South Africa. Our situation today compared to those days, the glory days of the Soviet Union, the Cold War, and pan-Arabic Nationalism, is much better.

and again that the conflict we experience is not an Israeli Palestinian one but rather a Muslim-Arab Israeli conflict with a local Arab component. After all, the two major wars as a result of which we still talk about "refugees" and "occupied territories" were initiated by the entire Muslim-Arab world and fought by the armed forces of several Muslim-Arab countries, i.e. 1948 and 1967. Back in 1967, prior to and after the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 was composed, neither the Soviet Union nor any of the Arab states demanded to use terms such as "Palestine", "Palestinian people" or "Palestinian state". They didn't because it was obvious to them as well as to the rest of the world that the terms meant nothing. Only later, for political expediency, have these terms have taken front seat in the discourse regarding that which is the essence of the conflict: The total refusal of the Muslim-Arab world to accept Israel's right to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

here and there I am inclined to agree with Guy Bechor more than with you. Granted, Israel still has long way to go, but she is heading in the right directions none the less.

What happens when even those few decide that israel is too crazy and withdraw her very high costs of support that she relentlessly recklessly squanders. Israel needs to regain her sanity and stop wasting vastly generous support on short term, idiot "successes" like settlements and assassinations on foreign soil. These idiot behaviours are not realistically sustainable, and will lead to self-caused catastrophe.

It seems Guy is the one who is stuck in the 80s, after Nassrallah's speech a few days ago that he will destroy buildings in Tel Aviv for one building in Dahya, and the panic throughout Israel, here's one voice is trying to assure Israel of being superior and it's citizens of being safe.. all facts are much different, or why don't Israel take Nassrallah's speech against him and try to attack lebanon? if they dare!! and if Nassrallah is living in the hide out, where does all Israel leaders live? they are no where seen feared of revenge. When the coming war will start, if it will, I would like to see if Guy will be the first to take a plane from Ben Gurion airport to hide outside the country, that if this airport will be still in service.