Indeed, given what happened in the past forty years, Israel is a solid amazing miracle. Thanks be to God for it.

In the name of making his case, the author unfortunately has over-simplified and made inaccurate claims: - he characterizes the 6 Day War as ultimately "negative" since it led to "occupation"... Presumably he is referring to West Bank. But as a result of 1967, Israel also continues to "occupy" the Golan - which I don't think ANYBODY in Israel today would consider a "negative" ! - re. Yom Kippur War, I do not recall Damascus ever being in "military jeopardy". (That may have been the intent, but at the close of the war, the IDF was bogged down in Beit Jann, east of the Golan and NOT breaking thru to Damascus...)

relax my dear author , we have won . neighboring nations that built themselves on fighting us are collapsing under the weight of their mis-calculations . yes , people are more skeptical . this is the result of slowly turning into a normal country . we are no longer the unbelieving survivors of early wars , who could not fathom their luck . israel has arrived .

My son was born just before the Yom Kippur War, he now spends most of his time abroad, but his heart is in Israel. Hw did is military service and some reserve duty, but found he could earn a better living elsewhere. I know many of his class mates also did the same. Things never stay the same, but us old hands still have faith that they will one day all return. Whether there will ever be peace...well thats another question.

Judea and Samaria ! Then and ONLY then, things will shine in a new and bright light !

It is not by happenstance that Am Yisrael rises again and again, like a Phoenix, from the bitter ashes of history. How blessed is the world, to bear witness to the existence of, the perseverance of, The State of Israel, on this Holy Day.

The doctrine of never again will be Jews Genocided means a severe attention to military Deterrant and Defense capacity Social Equity and The Jews Security Concerns Respected.Those Arabs and others who want to live in peace with there Jewish neighbours The Jews don't want conquest .Looking at Syria and Iraq and Egypt the situation of the Palestinian People's in Judaea and Samaria of the West Bank of the Jordan is Reasonable.

And as any Israeli born after that time will tell you, we are truly blessed compared to our parents and grandparents. Their generation drained the swamps of the Hula Valley and lived in fear of annihilation for most of their lives. Israel is stronger militarily, socially and economically than ever before. Neighboring countries that once prayed for our demise are now embroiled in civil war. Imagine what this region could have been like if our neighbors instead, followed Golda Meir's advice: “Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”

after 1973. Once soldiers returned from the battlefield, Meir was forced to resign from office and the Left and their ideology were forever shunned from Israel as an absolute. It came back again in the 1990s when once again the Left chose to put faith in the Arabs, which resulted in intifadas, suicide bombings, kidnappings and death.... but no peace. The Left are still trying to push their ideology on Israel, despite a long thread of failures that that ideology.

Today I am 77 yrs old. While I an far more physicaly active now than in 1973, I am NOT the same man. It is foolish to try to recreate the feelings of the spirit of Israel of 1948, or of 1973. Times have changed. Most of the threats of annihilation have waned, the conditions of life are far easier. My children's generation have succeeded to continue to build a strong, resiliant Israel. That generation of Israelis need to emphasize changes, iprovements that will insure an more educated, flowering Hebrew/Jewish Israel of 2048... for my grandchildren. moshe

are on our merry way to economical & social Nirvana: just take a long look at USA of today. Think what kind of stability, prosperity and respect it held only 6 years ago . Look at it now; and that's without anyone threatening to wipe them off the map....If we don't address this Arab dream, of Jew-free ME we shall never sleep at ease. Elections in Israel seem to fail at changing the path to national suicide: what will achieve that change I don't know.

40 years on and the left dominated media especially the television continues to demoralize the nation when will this small ideological fanatics and privileged group be forced to relinquish their undeserved power...only when the people cease to be indifferent to the cultural and political garbage they and their children suffer from 24/7 if not we will morally rot from within and that will bring about our end I truly believe that before you give someone a microphone to pontificate your personal political beliefs 24/7 they need to pass a psychological assessment. You will surely find many are clinically depressed and pass that on to our youth.

I keep reading surprise attack on Yom Kippur. Am I the only one to refute this claim? I was in Dizzengoff after the Kol Nidrei service. The street was full of military jeeps and MPs mobilising reservists to duty. In my neighbourhood alone dozens of men were called to duty. We had ample opportunity to mobilize overnight and meet the enemy at the first shot. But Golda et Al sacrificed hundreds of young soldiers on the front line to please the Americans who suggested that we should not be viewed as the aggressor! When I was called back to duty, my infantry (Hermesh-tanks)division on the Suez canal was entirely decimated. I am only alive today because I played sick to spend Kippur at home with my parents.

Every country must balance the needs of the country against the needs of the individual. In 1973 the country demanded a lot from it's people in order to survive. Today's generation is reaping the rewards of earlier generations stoicism, heroism and ingenuity. The question is will our generation also know to lay the groundwork for future generations?

We won the Yom Kippur War because afterward the Arab countries knew they could not defeat us militarily. Despite the horrendous beginning, we defeated Egypt & Syria & dealt the Soviet Union & its allies a devastating blow. Of course, since 1973, our enemies have changed their tactics, using political warfare, psychological warfare, the courts, economic boycotts, the media, academia, etc. to destroy Israel from within and from outside. We have to work on challenging these lies & propaganda. And I still feel a great solidarity within the country & there are so many charities and self-help organizations. Am Yisrael Chai!!

Interesting the same cast with the same people Putin former KBG agent and the Arab Syria both hate Jews even though Putin would deny it he has done everything possible to arm Israel's enemies with WMD's add to that equation companies in America and Germany and you have a frightening world.