He's right that it didn't harm our deterrence, but it's because there was none left to harm. Peres, who in 2003 said that Arafat deserved his Nobel Peace Prize, might have noticed that terrorists lob Kassams at our towns at will, that they're continuing to do it even now with all those IDF forces in Gaza, because they simply have no fear of the consequences. They know nothing much will happen to them. They're jihadists and don't care if a few of their leaders become "martyrs" in Israeli raids. But they know from the last 12 years that we won't take any major measures to defeat them, and this is what is meant by a loss of deterrence. The Kerem Shalom attack was particularly brazen and could not have been performed by people who were deterred.

Why does anyone still bother to listen to this individual?

yes U have said it all, Peres go home retire U old man, U so pathetic, and still clinches to power, for what, U are dying anyways, so yourself a favor to prepare your soul in good faith is not enough killing Palestinians U old man, do not U feel sorry for that. do something for peace instead of preaching hatred and injustice. it is time to speake up against the occupation, You so pathetic how in the world U are given a Noble peace prize, for what peace U have brought. end the occupation now and do yourself a favor step down and become a true peace maker .

Israel deterrence is strongly hampered each time Peres is picked as minister.

The amount of arrogance, sanctimoniousness and paternalism that Israeli politicians display towards Palestinians is mind-boggling. Peres, Netanyanhu, Olmert, Sharon, etc: a Palestinian state will emerge sooner or later. ...and all the bloodshed you've exacted on them will be repaid. Wake up! The majority of the world sympathizes and empathizes with the Palestinians and not you.

IT IS NOT CLEAR IF PERES IS USING "WE" IN THE MAJESTIC SENSE, OR HE IS REFERRING TO THE GOVERNMENT PAST AND PRESENT. THE MAN WHO GAVE US OSLO IS THE SAME MAN WHO SUPPORTED THE WITHDRAWAL FROM GUSH KATIF AND NOW ADVOCATES THE WITHDRAWAL FROM THE WEST BANK. IS NOT THE DEFINITION OF A SUCKER ONE WHO PRONE TO GULLIBILITY, BELIEVING THE PROMISES OF ARAFAT? DID HE NOT BELIEVE THAT WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF THE IDF IN GAZA, ZAHAL COULD CONTROL THE TERRORISTS? WHERE IS YOUR SELF-KNOWLEDGE SHIMON?

has there been in the case of Eliyahu Asheri?

I second your emotion Mr. Abraham from Netivot. Let us take a survey here just to corroborate the feelings of Israelis.

stop the emergence of a State all by themselves Funny Hey ?

It is amazing how wrong you are. Israel has offered a 2 state solution to the Palestinians and offered land for peace which has been rejected by the PA and Hamas. Hamas only wants one state, their charter, their words and their actions openly call for the destruction of Israel. The Palestinians are suffering as a direct result of the idiotic policies of the corrupt leadership. Instead of blaming Hamas you blame the victims of terrorism. Israel has the legitimate right to defend its people against Hamas which has only one agenda, the destruction of Israel. Hamas could not care less about the Palestinian people, in fact the real Hamas leaderships sits in Damascus in great luxury while spending millions of dollars which were collected for the Palestinians and are instead being spent by these armchair terrorists, whose policies terrorize both Israel and the Palestionians.

Foundations of the Jewish State: A Lesson in Statecraft Prof. Paul Eidelberg If “Israel” is defined as a Jewish state, then those who deny Israeli’s right to exist include Jews as well as Gentiles. The Jews are leftwing secularists who want to transform Israel into “a state of its citizens.” They control not only the mass media, but also the all-powerful Supreme Court, whose most significant rulings violate the abiding beliefs and values of the Jewish people. This means that the Supreme Court (led by its cunning president, Aharon Barak) denies Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state—appearances to the contrary notwithstanding. But what about those who assert Israel’s right to exist? Many if not most are confused about the foundational principles of Jewish statehood—and now we must add to the notion of Jewish statehood the Land of Israel or “Palestine.” First of all, many base the Jewish people’s right to statehood in Palestine on their having long inhabited this land, hence on “history.” But history provides no solid grounds for the statehood of any people, else the American Indians as well as the Mexicans could rightly claim independent statehood on vast tracts of America. International chaos would follow. Second, others claim that Jews, as an ethnic group, have a “natural” right to statehood. But such a right could be claimed by any ethnic group—the Basques of Spain, the French of Canada, the Muslims of China—again international chaos. Third, still others base the Jewish claim to statehood on “international law.” They cite the San Remo Convention of 1920, which incorporated the Balfour Declaration and was confirmed by the Mandate of the League of Nations. The latter recognized the Jewish claim to statehood in Palestine, and the United Nations added its own imprimatur in 1947. But just as the UN declared Zionism a form of racism, so it can nullify, if it willed, Israel’s internationally recognized legal existence. Finally, Orthodox Jews base Israel’s national existence on theological grounds, and claim, on those grounds, Jewish possession of Eretz Israel. But Muslims contend that Judaism is only a religion, that it is not a nationality, hence, that Jews have no right to statehood on land occupied by Arabs.