The one thing we haven't done because we are 'too Jewish' is to start targeting their civillians. This will stop the rockets.

for a man whose only credential is as a union thug to justify his position as Defense Minister.

Agreed 100%. Only thing to do. It worked in the north, it should work in the south.

Targetting their civilians. You make me lough, because you didn't already do. The numbers speak by themselves. How many Pals civilians have been killed compared to Israelis civilians??????

just look at the statistics of your own gathered by Btselem: among the 4000 palestinians killed we have about 800 child under the age of 16 and almost 80% of the 4000 had NO contact with any kind of violent actions(civilians)....and you want to further attack civilians!!!!!! GENOCIDE

The Knesset needs drastic reform. there needs to be checks and balances and direct elections for all ministers. israel should be divided into political districts.similar to the United States. That is the only way the people have a real say. Yes, we have elections,however, once that is finished. The ministers could do or not as they please. Until the next election, where they say what we want to hear and then forget about us until next election. For those that say we shouldd be a democratic and not a jewish state. Well? where is the constitution? where sre the checks and balances? Elections are part of Democracy but Democracy isn't defined by just having elections. It is the peoples' right to accountability in their government. Without the power to hold politicians accountable for their promises,actions or lack their of. What kind of Democracy do we have?

It is times like these which frighten me. The person in charge of our army has no military experience, no degree in military strategy, is not a military tactician and probably cannot fathom military doctrine. What has he done his entire career? Called labor strikes. Not exactly the kind of resume which evokes my confidence. As long as this guy has this job, we are all in trouble.

"The numbers speak by themselves. How many Pals civilians have been killed compared to Israelis civilians" How many German civilians died in World War II compared with British civilians? Does that mean Brits were Nazis? Three further points: 1) Islamofascist Palestinian terrorists fight from behind the skirts of women and children. It is therefore difficult to respond without occasionally hitting a civilian. 2) Many Palestinian "civilians" were in fact terrorists. 3) Palestinians aim to kill as many Jewish Israelis as possible. Israelis aim to kill as few Palestinian civilians as possible.

I agree with #2 and #4. So far very few Arabs were killed. If Olmert waits for a mass murder of Jews in Tel Aviv, I say it is a bad strategy. Olmert can't blame everything on this s"stupid guy" Peretz and this "idiot Halutz". He should stop sending his daughter to Halutz's house and attack Peretz in press, and tell eveyone in Tel Aviv that these two guys responsible for all the mistakes.

During the 90s, when Hizballah shot rockets, we used to blow up the infasture in Lebanon, here it's alot more simple, just turn off the switch which supplies the Gazans free electricity, if they dont stop close the water pipeline, and if that doesnt work give the residents of the northern strip a few hours notice to evacuate and flatten the scenary.

I agree there can be no military solution to terrorism while the IDF battles with its hands tied. But that hardly means nothing should be done, or that endless further concessions which reap only more terror should be made. The author asks what was to be gained by taking out (he uses the word "assassinate" beloved by our enemies) Samhadana. This man was a major terrorist commander and it must be shown that such people cannot be allowed to escape justice. As for the wittering idiots that bleat about "extra-judicial killing", he was not going to be handed over for trial in Israel, was he?

It is common knowledge, that Amir Peretz did not want the job as minister of defence, probably realizing that he lacks the minimal requirements for this important post. As a resident of Sderot, he is in a Catch-22 situation with his neighbors screaming at his family and his wife coming out to defend him. The real culprit in this dangerous situation is Olmert, who conveniently left the country on a fruitless mission to plead his case for unilateral convergence to heads of stae who before he even arrived stated their opposition to the concept. To his credit, on a number of situations Sharon cancelled trips abroad because of a deteriorating security situation at home. The tragedy is that even were Olmert to take charge of the current situation, the confidence he continually exhudes would quickly dissipate for it is only an act, as he so well demonstrated before Congress. How convenient for him to let Amir Peretz take the blame!

Do not expect this to come from the politicos, it will only come through revolution, it does not need to be violent, a people sit in will do, en masse, for as long as it takes. Musical chairs and Volvo grabing must come to an end.

A question for Peter; After 60,000 UK cilivilians were killed by German Bombs and Rockets did the UK a) offer to negotiate a ceasefire or accept a Hudna till 1975 or b) kill 10 times as many German civilians, occupy the country and turn a blind eye to Russian soldiers raping millions of German women?

In response to PM Olmart offer to abandon most of if not the entire Judia and Samira, Blair says has full trust in Olmert's peace efforts British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he has full confidence in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's intentions to achieve peace with the Palestinians according to the road map peace plan. Blair reiterated three internationally recognized criteria for the resumption of peace talks: recognizing the right of the Palestinians for an independent state, renouncing violence, and implementing steps towards peace as stated in the road map. What is missing from this declaration from Blair is what comes first, a Palestinian contiguous State and then who must renounce violence, Israel or the terrorist entity before any further negotiations should take place and just what would be negotiated if Israel has totally surrendered already, or has agreed to surrender based upon a promises from an entity that never honored any verbal or written commitments eminanting from them.

All Peretz, Olmert, and the rest of this government are doing is expressing the will of their voters, that is, Israel has lost the war with the Palestinians and now must do it's best to avoid any further confrontations with them, confrontations which we will also surely lose. The Left wing Israeli media and of course Olmert and Peretz have all told us over and over again that we are tired and weary of the fight, the IDF publicly states that our army cannot win, and a plurality of Israeli voters agreed with them that cutting and running is only answer. All Omert and his government want to do now, and Olmert has stated this publicly, is to retreat even further and finally formally surrender to the enemy by giving up Jerusalem. Of course this will only being Kassams and Scuds into the center of the country but Olemert and Peretz, and our Left wing media prefer to ignore this, after all, defeat needs no discussion.