Very simple, the goverment is responsible for what it does, and the people chose the goverment, there is no question here, and if you say that Hamas cannot control it's military wing... then you are simply lying, can you imagine the IDF massacring an entier village and then the Israeli government opens a reporter conference and say "Hey, it wasnt us, it was Givaati"? Do you realise how absurd this sounds? What do you think, that the entier world has the IQ of 80 and cant see through your lies? The Israeli government is not acting like a terroist state, the Israeli government has simply declared war on the Palestinians, because the Palestinian government ringed the casus belli loud and clear when they sent their "Military wing" to fight the Israeli government's "military wing", cant walk with and feel without. By the way, I believe "Terrorist state" suits the definition of the Palestinian government, which is ruled by a globally recognized terrorist organisation.

There can be no other explination for this one sided blind view of the situation than that of someone that wants "civilized nation" to have to protect their citizens regardless of where they travel in order to prevent kidnappings or it is all a satirist's view to show how silly the whole situation has become.

the job of our government is to defend israel by any means the job of hamas is to kill jews by any means so where is our choice in this world to kill jews is good ans sooner will finish the job sooner will have a good life WHT A MISTAKE THT WILL BE to think tht islam will not turn against u so u better wake up pp war is on lets finish it shalom

The most sober-minded and truthful Op-Ed in a long time! Only when Israelis and Palestinians develop and a true 'I and Thou' relationship in the spirit of Martin Buber, will that region know peace.

Yes, Israel with good intention can do alot. Palestinians are power less, they do not have the power to offer any thing. Nothing left to offer. Israel occupies the vast majority of Historic Palestine (more than 78%). It is the right time for a brave Israeli government to stand up, and accept the two state solution. Palestinians like to live like humans, and fed up with this conflict. Please agree to give palestinians the left 22% of the land, and let us build our own state. I do not know where is the problem if Sharoon him self admit that occuping 3.8 million is immoral. Sharoon himself called it occupation, you know it is occupation, the whole world know it is occupation, yet, you are doing nothing to stop this aggression. lokking back to the recent Israeli solder kidnapping issue, makes me sick. Israel is so proud of its power to a limit they thought they can do collective punishment and no one will respond. Israel jailing 10000 prisnors, I know some of them. many of them have nothing to do with violence. Some of them jailed only because on of the family memebers is a "terrorist", some of them wifes, and sons of freedom fighters. Israel is makinga big mistake underestimating what 4 milliom Palestinian can do if been locked within WALLS of racist and discrimination. This wall has nothing to do with security, I can not understand how cana Wall prevent Qassam rocket to fly? am I the only one who think right? The wall will only save Palestinian fighters lives. It will not even minimize danger. The only purpose of this wall is to steel more land, and to apply permenant borders from one side. That what you will get, live with it, regardless you like it or not. This is teh exact recipie for war, not peace. Salam Shaloom, peace atmawi.

I look forward to reading your whining at that stage.

Mr Hanania, you wrote in the beginning, "I don’t need to identify who is and who isn’t a terrorist in this fight. It’s pretty clear to both side". But then later on you wrote "Israelis can’t seem to control their fanatics and extremists, and their terrorism continues in the form of the occupation and all its manifestations", and also "Palestinians must have faith in peace, even when the Israeli government acts as a terrorist state, as it is now doing." Dont you feel like you just contradicted yourself? Clearly , you ARE identifying who is a terrorist! By the way, Gazza hasn't been occupied for the last year, so why are the rockets still being shot over the borders and suicide bombings still active? You are the same as all the other pali reporters in that you mainly blame Israel for your peoples position, yet refuse to report the big picture.....that you are really just pawns controlled by other countries to do their dirty deeds and that your current and past governments don't even want peace. You know but refuse to report that the true palastine given to you by the British mandate is Jordan, and that most of the people living in your region are really from Egypt, jordan and other areas. You refuse to report that the real truth is that muslims never even wanted Palastine before Arafat came into power. I could name hundreds of other facts you could mention, but won't because i know that you really can't report without being biased.......what a shame Jay.

more art, less war. LEB-ISRA-PAL! The birth of the levantine republic. Think big and be brave. Nice article Ray.

dudu kfar sava did you wake up because obviously you were sleeping and dreaming when you wrote your stupid talkback. your state failed to achieve these dreams during 58 years of conflict and when you had weacker enemies now your enemy is much more stronger if you recognize or not and they are 1.5 million only in Gaza so my advice is stop dreaming and face the truth even if you don't like it The pacient Arabs will wake up sooner or later and america will not rescue you for ever

Simple solution. Kill the whole bird.

There is a dialog going on. Quassams vs 155s and F-16s. Evidently the palistinians are not very good in this kind of debate. Perhaps they might wish to pursue a different line .

I'm really sorry to say this, but YOU are the only nation not doing that. I live in Spain, where we have ETA. ETA has been chased by police, ETA's money has been frozen, ETA operatives are searched. The same goes for the ETA at the Frech side of the frontier (chased by France). Precisely, Zapatero now appeases ETA, and day after day, the more he gives in, the more the situation en worses. The problem I see here is different: Omert's raison d'etre was withdrawal. His political campaign only carried that: no new policies in science, economy or society. The newest thing inside Olmert's agenda was Peres, which speaks miles about Olmert. One year after: enjoy the paradise of the Kassams and the abductions. Omert is a fraud. The sooner you recognize it and impeach him, the sooner the rest of the world can rest in real peace, or sort of.

Sorry to say it, but americans are part of civilized nations, and they bombed Afghanitan and Iraq, killing many civilians. Did anyone spell it as terrorism? French army killed 30 civilians in Ivory Coast 2 years ago, and nobody claimed it was terrorism. I think we have just to think about who is killing by mistake, and who does it in purpose. Sorry, but THIS IS the BIGGEST difference between us. Totally agree with #1, perfect post!

the collective exaults the terrorists the collective elected terrorists the collective celebrates their crimes the collective also suffers their consequences

Usially I dont bother to respond to drivel. Usually I try to see the logic int he argument. Also, I am decidely left wing. But let me tell you, this column is DRIVEL. drivel drivel drivel. and I agree with #1.

Ray, calm down, take a deep breath, and relax. Yelling Israeli oppression, terrorism, murder, injustice and all the other interesting accusations you made don't hold any water in the civilized, intelligent world. Making claims like these by throwing powerful words into the air only influences uneducated people who have no clue what you're talking about, but hear the words murder and injustice and based on that form their opinion. Stop writing this propaganda. And even more, stop pretending to have an objective opinion. Anyone who has a little common sense can read between the lines and see your bias.

Not in all of recorded history has the loser of a defensive war been able to dictate the terms for peace, until Israel. How dare you call Israel the "occupier" of land. It is land rightfully theirs. It was conquered when Israel was attacked. Israel has given up this land in an effort to gain peace with it's neighbors. No other nation has ever been expected to do this. Only Israel has to be humiliated in victory. When Peace was made with Egypt, the Sinai was returned, including control of the Suez. Israel handed over Gaza and disrupted the lives of it's own citizens to do so. The difference: Egypt may officially talk negatively about Israel but since the Yom Kippur War there has been no shelling coming from that country. The Gazans and West Bank Arabs have repeatedly bombed or shelled Israel. If the majority population there were opposed to this action and wanted peace they would do something about purusing it, They would act in a mannner that made it clear they felt the actions were wrong. Instead they elect a terrorist government in a UN observed "free and fair election." If these people starve, die of thirst or whither away, because Israel is defending itself, they have only themselves to blame. The fact that Israel doesn't just bomb the lot of them into kingdom come shows a great deal of restraint. I for one do not condone genocide but if it's a war they want...then let's win it and stop being so worried about the world press and fools like the author who wrote the article.

Dateline: 9/11/01 The Gazan and West Bank Arabs are dancing in celebration. They have just wittnessed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon attacked by terrorists who took over planes and flew them into the buildings. This is something the world seems to have forgotten. These 'poor suffering people' actually celebrate when terror hits the USA. It should provide a perspective for the rest of the world but instead it is better in their eyes to condemn Jews. Alas if only Israel had an oil supply of its own...

Until the Palestinian people, and those elements in the Arab/Muslim world who back them, come to the point where they realize it is more painful to try to fight with Israel than it is to embrace Israel, and realize that this will always be so, then this senseless violence will continue. The Palestinians/Arabs/Muslims must be brought to the point where they have no hope of ever eliminating Israel and its people. In the meantime, Israel must be allowed to defend itself and its people in any way it sees fit. Any discomfort the Palestinians/Arabs/Muslims feel must be seen as something they bring on themselves. When the day comes that a sufficient number of everyday Palestinians/Arabs/Muslims say to their leaders, "Enough!" ... on that day Israel can begin to act together with them as a civilized nation living in peace with its neighbors. However, to criticize Israel as being "uncivilized" in the present situation is ludicrous. Israel is simply having a normal national reaction to an abnormal international situation.

We do not need America to rescue us because we are powerfull and smart enough alone. And the arab countries are too stupid and to busy in violating their own people to ever defeat us. And in all this years, Israel became a modern and developed country where anyone, including an arab can make a living and dispite all the war. All you people talking about the palestinians and other muslams like they are like this and like that but in the end nobody wants them, everybodies affraid of them and don't wish that they will be our neighbours. Look at Europe! So don't come with your bull...

Terrorists choose to cloak themselves with a population who incidentally democratically elected their leaders. Cry now or live in peace with the Israelis who have been patient for too long.

you silly chilango. Better worry about your own country. Tomorrow will be the beggining of the end of Mexico after AMLO is elected. You may want to move to Gaza and join your arab friends since you are so enlightened. Or movo to Texas and start plowing my friend.

http://www.jackiemason.com/reviews/protesting_fair_game.html Thank you Hanania for your "courage"

There are some philosophical truths in some of the things you say but the very basic problem is that the Palestininans have been very successful in perpetrating a myth over the past 50 years or so. You know this as well as I do so I shall not go into details. The International community has been set up, the wool has been pulled over its eyes, the lie has permeated into the psyche of millions of ignorant people around the world and you do nothing but give support to this lie and falsehood.I do give you credit for trying to create balance, but only a semblance of balance. The illusion of Israel as the agressor and Palestinians as the victim is already deeply engrained. You know this is not true Sir, you are an intelligent and informed individual and I would have more respect for you if you kept to honesty. People, most people, have feeble minds, flexible minds, easily impressionable minds. This is not intended to be derogatory to anyone, just a fact of life. The whole conflict was totally unneccessary ab ovo, had the Arabs, and I mean the Arabs, accepted the partition plan 1947. They wanted it all. They continued to want it all in 1967 and 1973 and all through the intifadas. Ray, we do not want your humiliation, we want you to come to your senses, to believe that construction is better than destruction, universities are better than Madrassas that foment hatred, teaching a child to love rather than hate. Ray, I know too much about Gaza and Rafah and Dir el Balah, fifty years of first hand knowledge, the people, their way of life, their expectations and above all, their total incapability to determine a leadership that will lead them to where they should be lead, and not to the brink of devastation and the depths of human suffering. Living on handouts from the international community for 50 years is not a way of life. Call it quits and start to live a normal life. The oil revenues from 1 day's ( one ) production of the Arab countries would be able to set up a normal country with all its institutions of Government and learning and social requirements, instead of putting another few billion in the bank accounts of Saudi princes and Gulf Emirs. Bingo, the problem would be solved. Israel would take it from that point on. We, Israel would not only point the Palestinians in the right direction, we would be their best friends. You know this Ray, you know that every single word I have said herein is true. Do you have the guts to admit it, can you be honest with us and with yourself and your compatriots. Please try, but be straight, no deviations, no excuses, no falsehoods, no rhetoric no stories, no ifs and buts, just honesty. I await your reply. With respect Yakov Shani

Whoever invented the lie that Israel's anti-terrorism operations constituted "collective punishment" was - you have to admit it - a genius. Why? Because it gives the Palestinians complete immunity to practice terrorism without any fear of reprisals. And because the same argument has been adopted by the international community, "human rights" groups, etc. Incidentally, Mr Hanania, what about the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure in Serbia by NATO forces?

There never was a Palestinian state. You're getting one now, but don't seem to realize it . . and tearing it up at the same time. There have been many less terrorist killings since the wall went up. It's your choice. Make a nation or rot.

Israel is the only nation suffering collective punishment. Collective punishment in the form of boycott. Every Israeli knows someone killed in a terror attack or a war to drive the Jews into the sea, that is collective punishment. Constant terror attacks in our communities that keep us from going through our day as usual, making every Israeli a victim is collective punishment. Trying to take away Israel's right to self defense is collective punishment.

1) The Palestinians elected Hamas, knowing exactly who they were and what they represented. They are responsible for their actions. 2) Gaza is not occupied. No Israelis were in Gaza when the military post, within Israel's borders, was attacked.

releasing him without Israel releasing prissoners. They are as much a partner for his kidnapping as the kidnappers themselves.

As usual, this writer tries to play both ends against the middle. Who exactly elected the genocidal Hamas to power? Was it NOT the general PA population? They were elected not only to oust the corrupt Fatah, but equally so because they agreed with Hamas's stepped up course of destroying Israel. They did NOT agree with Fatah's 'phased plan.' Therefore, if this writer is placing the onus on who is to blame for the PA people 'starving', he should place it squarely at the bloody feet of his Muslim brothers and sisters. By the way, one cannot 'occupy' what belongs to you. Judea & Samaria, and historically Gaza belongs to the Jewish people. Making up history doesn't change these facts. In addition, before the areas were recaptured in 1967, there was NO mention of the 'Arab Palestinians'. That is a verifable fact!