I am not going to start commenting on your usual nonsense, Ray. But there is one thing I am interested to hear your opinion about. I want to see an article from you addressing the islamic and arabic media regarding the way the portray Jews. I am sure that you, as an arab, have plenty of access to this media. So how about you address this serious issue in a serious manner, instead of making it into some big joke. When I view arab and islamic media on http://www.memritv.org/ it only confirms how nazi like the other side is and what is the real reason for no peace.

The Cicero Ground water is suspect. This not makes no sense, it isn't funny.

Israelis can abuse the term Nazi and Holocaust all they want but anyone else who does is anti-Semitic. I don't always agree with Ray -- he's too moderate for me and others -- but he sure brings out the ugliness of Israel on this webboard. Talk about hate talk in the Arab media. Anis, New York

youre great ray :) love your work! Youre pretty funny, never mind what all the rascist morons say sure we shouldnt have annexed some more of the west bank. I agree on that one But.. ... do you really believe we shouldnt hunt down terrorists while trying to negotiate? If theyre comming to get us, we'd have to be pretty stupid to wait until they cross into Israel proper and blow themselves up or shoot someone. Thats why we get them first. Also, its very difficult to shoot to injure a man, so you can arrest him, when hes strapped with explosives or holding a weapon. It doesn take much to push the buzzer and go boom or pull the trigger, even if you are injured. Speaking of negotiation: why is it that the palestinian leadership hasnt drop even one of their demands in 57+ years? Israeli governments, by and large, with a few exceptions like bibi, have been willing to negotiate, have a bit of give and take Palestinian leaders dont give and take. Its their way, in totality, or the highway. take your pick How do you expect us normal Israelis to take the palestinian leaders efforts at ''negotiation'' seriously when they wont comprimise on anything at all? Is there no arabic equivalent for ''give and take"?

I think you are right, Israel should hunt down any terrorists but should try to work with the Palestinian government (as it forms and strengthens) ... I think that suicide bombings are a disgrace to the Palestinian community, and worse, I feel that the people who commit them are violating the rights of Palesitnians, too and I think the Palestinian Government, President Abbas, should crack down on Hamas immediately. They want to destroy Israel, Palestinians who support compromise and peace, and Christian Arabs like me ... I thinky ou should accept, though, that the Palestinians have changed over the years, most have accepted the fact that they cannot have one state that is Democratic (Jews, Christians and Muslims instead of two states between Jews and Arabs), and they have accepted Israel's right to exist (although they did that before they really got anything -- most Israelis still don't accept the right of Palestinians to exist, just read Daisy's regular hatred) ... That's not to say we have not made mistakes. We sure have. Arafat should have accepted the plan BUT demanded more ... it was not enough to not address the issue of the refugees nor give Palestinians an equal sharing status in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a city Holy to all religions and it must be shared. You can't ask any Palestinian leader to accept any peace offer from the Israeli left that doesn't include Jerusalem. As for SHaron, I think he is moving away from the Israeli right and he could become a moderate who accepts a fair compromise, but I personally doubt that will happen ... he's going to insist on imposing a solution that Palestinians will not accept and unfortunately we may be at war for a long time to come ... I hate that thought. I wish we could put the past behind us, take out all the extremists on both sides, and live in two states side by side promoting the power of the Palestinian and Jewish people ... I think if there were such a peace, we would be the most powerful people on the planet ... Just some rambling thoughts in response to a good comment. We don't have to agree on everything, but we should agree ont he basics. I wish Abbas would take out Hamas, and I wish the Israelis would pull back all their settlers ... Ray Hanania

most of us wish that. But I think you over estimate what the jewish people want. they have a biblical exile dream myth that they will fight for at all costs, including with US tax dollars. the PALESTinians were there first, its the jews from Brooklyn and Russia etc that are converging on the M.E.. Unless the US and the U.N. see this, forget about peace.

When the Palestinians do eventually get their own state, it'll be the same as all the other Islamist states in the middle east. Persecution of Christians will increase until there are none left, and the law will be that of the Sharia - in Islam there's no compromise and no democracy. We'll slowly see the growing influence of Iran in both Gaza and in the Arab West Bank.

I agree with some of what you are saying Ray Yerushalayim? Very very difficult. I think it will be left to the last issue to be dealt with. Its going to be very hard to sort out that one The problem is that the 'settler' in the westbank are mostly in areas we consider to be part of Israel. This was Jordanian territory before they attacked us I think we've come a long way in recognizing the aspirations the palestinians have for nationhood. That doesnt mean you get everything you want though. It also means we dont get everything we want. I dont know if I can generalize and say this or that about what palestinians as a society want, but I can say that the PLO is not interested in dropping even one demand. How is Sharon or anyone else supposed to negotiate with people like that? You either bow and give them everything they want or you backoff and break negotiations. The PLO is secular (mostly) and for that reason I belive we can work with them one day if they open their minds for 5 seconds. But I have to tell you, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa martyrs brigade (strangely not secular and still allied to fatah), and Hezbollah, will never lay down their weapons You know why? They have twisted their religion to the extent that they have provided for themselves religious justification for their actions. If they have religious justification for what they are doing then nothing we can say or do will change their minds. I know them very well. I fought with them for 4 and a half years. They wont change

I wouldnt take anything Daisy says seriously. I dont think shes Israeli. I think shes actually american. Anyway, shes a silly bint who sounds like shes about 10 years old sometimes if you look at the things she writes Anyway, I think you misjudge most Israelis: most of us do want peace. We need someone on your side to do it though. Sharons a bulldozer - make no mistake - but hes not stupid, far from it, hes very intelligent and he knows his enemy well. I think if he had a partner he would negotiate but he doesnt for now. Kaha. Ein ma laasot. Shalom haver

Ray I want you to know that Israelis want peace. We want to live in a friendly neighborhood. Almost all Israelis would love to be able to freely visit and holiday in the various Arabic countries. Arabic culture is rich and interesting. As for Jerusalem, there is one fact that needs to be emphasized: Israel has always protected and respected the Holy Sites of other religions be they Muslim or Christian. Under Jordanian rule, synagogues were burned down and desecrated. No people are more fitting to have sovereignty over Jerusalem, including the Old City and Temple Mount, than the Israelis. Currently Jews do not have free access to any of their Holy Sites that are within Palestinian controlled areas. Take for example Joseph's Tomb, which, incidentally, was also desecrated. When we get peace, please G-d it should happen soon, there is absolutely no doubt that Muslims and Christians would have complete access to any of their Holy Sites. Such sites are protected under Israeli law. Israel has a clean record regarding this issue.

I think the real issue is that if people like you and I can agree to sit down and respect each other's views, we can eventually work out a real peace. If think you both make real good points, although I am sensitive to Jerusalem because most of my relatives are not allowed to visit the city, my land is zoned so that I can't do anything and is in the area that Israel confiscated in East Jerusalem, and I am worried Jerusalem will never be a real open city, just a political showpiece that ends up like the debate ont he Wall-Fence. But, the key is to look forward, not backward once we identify the extremists on both sides. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the rest are religious fanatics and religious fanatics don't reason, they act out of "faith" which is unreasonable. Israel has extremists, too, who never admit they did anything wrong. They don't want to recognize the things Palestinians feel pain about. Anyway, I agree that compromise is the only way. Both sides must make concessions. And it is our responsibility to feed the peace not the beast of more conflict. That means we need to look at what we say to the other side and hear it the way they would hear it, not the way we would hear it. We also need to listen to each other and hear what is being said not what we want to hear. The biggest problem is we don't listen to each other or speak to each other. When we talk, we usually talk to ourselves. (Not you per se but our people in general.) Netanyahu, for example, is not a good person. That doesn't mean he is a terrorist. But everyone contributes to destruction in their own way. I am hoping for change in Israel and change among Palestinians. I think it will happen. Ray Hanania

I agree with what you saying Bibi? I'm not crazy about him either. Listen to what he says: he says if they give they'll get if they dont they wont. What kind of an attitude is that? He's one of the most indecisive people I have ever seen. First he votes for disengagement. Then he changes his mind in less than a week. Then he changes his mind again. Then again. What a moron. I had a friend who used to say: If you dont know what you want, then you dont know what is what. I think that just about sums up Bibi. You would have never thought he was a mefaked in matkal. He shouldve gone to nahal instead, he'd fit in much better there with all the crazies. Yeah look, politics is complicated. I think theres a lot more lobbying that goes on backstage than we see. Its hard to do something when you have little support, even if you really want do do it. We have to sort out our extremists and so do you. There is one crucial difference - our ratio of violent extremists is much much lower than yours. This makes it easier for us to sort them out. I think you may need help to sort out yours. It will be very difficult for Abas: hes between a rock and a hard place. UN peacekeepers is a waste of time. We run rings around them in lebanon and so do hizbullah and amal. If me and you and Micha can talk then these politicians can talk too. Its not like reinventing the wheel. It just means they have to open their minds. I hope they do it. I think most people on both sides want them to. Shalom Haver :)