Thousands of Palestinians in exchange for Shalit? Will they ever do anything to the guys firing Kassams? Will they accept our closing of their borders etc, which are necessary so long as they continue to amass arms (which they will)? We must continue the disengagement, withdraw to more defensible and legitimate borders, but be prepared to do so even with the Palestinians continuing to hate our guts. The security fence may have to suffice instead of a negotiated agreement, even of the most basic sort.

You stutter,you contradict your self and you are not coherent at all(excuse my sincerity),BUT ,the only thing you said right,was about Israel military: Israel must keep, MORE and MORE and ALWAYS ,its Military as NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. Politics,conversations,pacts, whatever can be done,but Israel Army must be kept VERY sharpen and ready.It must be more and more sophisticated, and Intelligence services more and more accuratte. Only with this Might,Israel is able to breath and to keep its life and destiny safely. Thinking otherwise means-G'od forbid-suicide!

one thing you said right for sure and it is about Israel military: Israel must keep, MORE and MORE and ALWAYS ,its Military as NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. Politics,conversations,pacts, whatever can be done,but Israel Army must be kept VERY sharpen and ready.It must be more and more sophisticated, and Intelligence services more and more accuratte. Only with this Might,Israel is able to breath and to keep its life and destiny safely. Thinking otherwise means-G'od forbid-suicide!

A wise and corageous suggestion!

Thank you for your text. It is Israelis like you that make me think that peace is possible. After 40 years of exchanging bullets, one would hope to understand that no peace will ever come this way. Hopefully you guys sit down and talk with the Palestinians.

Feel with your soul not relativistic rationalizations. When you do, you'll know they don't want "peace" but Israel's destruction. What? You don't believe their avowed rantings of destruction for Israel? Did giving them land buy "peace"? Don't be a Neville Chamberlin. Grow a pair.

This is one of the more intelligently thought out commentaries I've read in a while.

Let me sum up your point here, the election of Hamas was a one time fluke, it was a joke, Israel just didnt understand this humor. Perhaps Hamas could make Israelis smile by returning Giliad Shalit and stopping the barage of rockets on southern towns. Next Hamas might clearly say that Israel has the right to exist. I would be very happy if Haniya would turn out to be willing to sign on the dotted line where it says 'Peace'. Last I checked Hamas is still calling on a one state solution and it isnt Israel. Before the elections it was said that political reality will force them to change and get real. Before Gaza was left for the PA it was said that giving them full control of Gaza without the settlers will give them a chance to build something up for themselves. In stead they attacked Israel, elected the most extremist group they could find and finally insist on the return of the IDF to occupy them. Shawqi Issa is a human rights lawyer and director of Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Bethlehem. and demanded the re-occupation in May 2006. http://www.bitterlemons.org/previous/bl150506ed19.html#pal2

you must be blind. why can't you see there is no difference between hamas and hizbullah - they just want to destroy you and kill you and then kill you some more. when we you face the facts and stop dreaming?

David Grossman you are still the same idiot. Palestinians chose Hamas vs chosing peace.

Dear Israel, we'd love to be friends with you too - but just until we're strong enough to kick your butts out of here! Unfortunately I no longer beleive anything that Muslims either say or write so what use would an agreement be ?

http://www.yearinbrazil.com/islam.htm

the whole world wants to wipe israel off the face of this earth , so the best thing israel can do is start making peace with everyone around you before this realy happens .

When you boil this article down, the author is simply repeating what the left-wingers have been saying since Oslo. It seems like they just refuse to learn that negotiating with terrorists doesn't work, no matter how much you force yourself to believe it will.

In the southwest usa grows a plant that cows love to eat, however it makes them go crazy. This plant is called loco weed. I think you hve mistaken this for someother product that grows great in the southwest. NO such thing as a partial peace. Where Israel is going wrong is it calls for a cease fire too soon.

The article is a complete nonsense. The author has managed to forget that arabs agree to partition the land only IF Israel agrees to return of all so-called "palestinian refuges" and their ancestors to Israel territory (within 48 borders). What would immedeatly turn Israel into just another state with arab majority. Untill arabs renonse this "right of return" their agreement to partion land does not worth a penny, and there is no point in talking with them and giving them any concession.

We can't expect to be listened to first, before we agree to listen. It's a childish nonsense on the part of Olmert to continue this policy of only talking to people who will say what he wants them to. Talk with the Palestinians now, Mr. Olmert, with no preconditions.

How can you make peace with people who want all of Israel. Did we not make that mistake with Oslo and also the Gaza disengagement, and the Lebanon withdrawal? Been there done that.

israil never get weaker but the palastinian get stronger .it is stronger than befor they trust themselves not the other //sure palastinian want the peace .i tel you something ..when saddat visited jerusalem we were happy we think it is the end of ocupation ..also after oslo we were happy we think it is the end of ocupation ,,but now believe me we want the end of suffering even by violence .even to let the enemy suffer this is the aim of hizballa also ..you jump on one degree when the palastinians want to end the ocupation peacfully

Most of the phony "Palestinian" Arabs want to destroy Israel and murder all the Jews. This is very clear to see since these Arabs repeat it everyday. It amazes me that despite this there are Jews who still think that they can make peace with these Arabs. I'm not Jewish and I undertstand perfectly what is going on. Why can't David Grossman?

...you'll have tough time getting those in the positions of power to go down this--the only reasonable path. Emotions are running pretty high right now: while I don't hate the Palestinians and never have, I have divorced myself from feeling any care or concern about their wellbeing. After all, if they don't care about themselves, then why should I?? With emotions running high, there won't be political will in Israel to talk about implementing a plan to cease the wretched occupation of the terrirories. Also, perhaps most importantly, were Israel to initiate any negotiations, the first and possibly only reaction that would evince among the Arabs is: Israel is weak. So, the alternative is to keep fighting. Until when? Until all Palestinians are dead? That's not going to happen. It's a tough question. The only thing we can be certa in of is: There won't be peace here for a very, very long time... The occupation must end though.

..is a disease that seems to strike otherwise intelligent people. It's symptoms include forgetting the whole of history. Notably, the historical facts of what surrendering and appeasment has brought Israel. (More attacks, more death.) It also causes it's sufferers to forget that the so-called peace loving Palestinian people CHOSE bombs and rockets over peace and business. Rather than choose a path of peace and reconciliation with Israel, they CHOSE to elect terrorist who publicly call for the death of Israel. They chose to force war upon themselves. Folks...GET A CLUE! These people want Israel erased. That's it. Period. If they wanted peace and happiness, then they wouldn't have elected Hamas. They made bad choices, yet again, and now they cry to the world in hopes of getting what their fighting failed to obtain.

Others have already pointed out the idiocy of the content here, but for a prize winning fiction writer, he writes terribly! And yes, as for the content, what rubbish. Yes, Israel has stagnated (not economically), but that is because its leadership refuses to accept that the "Palestinians" need to be driven from the land. Every effort to find an accomadation has been counterproductive. Not surprisingly, an ideologically blinded fiction writer (who is not even qualified to write on this topic) hasn't drawn the obvious conclusion.

When we pulled out of Gush Katif - just gave them our land - did they appear to you to be making any reciprocal motions toward peace? Tell me, Mr. Grossman: how can we make peace, even a 'partial peace' with people who want us dead and/or out of our homeland? Have you no idea whom we are dealing with? I have read a lot of your works and you appear to be intelligent, so I have a hard time believing that you are so naive and unrealistic about the facts on the ground. Please, enlighten us. Tell us something new. Stop speaking - like all of the other smolanim - without any plan whatsoever. It's a waste of everyone's time.

We pulled completely out of Lebanon in 2000 and completely out of Gaza in 2005 and look at what it got us. This conflict is not about occupation or territory. It's about the violent jihad which the Koran instructs, and it's about hatred of Yehudim ("Jews") which the Koran is full of. It's also about the "honor" killings of women in Arab Muslim culture, which are still supported by 70% of Arab Muslims. How can they ever make peace with us if they haven't made peace with their mothers, daughters and sisters. Peace begins at home, not in some phony Oslo process that blew up in our faces for the above reasons. Enough of the left's naivity and blame-Israel-first philosophy.

We pulled completely out of Lebanon in 2000 and completely out of Gaza in 2005 and look at what it got us. This conflict is not about occupation or territory. It's about the violent jihad which the Koran instructs, and it's about hatred of Yehudim ("Jews") which the Koran is full of. It's also about the "honor" killings of women in Arab Muslim culture, which are still supported by 70% of Arab Muslims. How can they ever make peace with us if they haven't made peace with their mothers, daughters and sisters. Peace begins at home, not in some phony Oslo process that blew up in our faces for the above reasons. Enough of the left's naivity and blame-Israel-first philosophy.

Grossman's Palestinians have the same aim as Hizballah , the destruction of Israel . The Oslo policies, the withdrawal, and appeasement policies of Grossman are responsible , more than anything else for the 'broch' we are in. The 'denial' of the true nature of Palestinian relation to Israel is one of the major crimes of the so- called 'peace-camp' in Israel.

What the author (and many others) fail to acknowledge is that the Palestinians are not ready to accept a two state solution. Hamas, which is the elected government has plainly said it considers Palestine to be from the sea to the Jordan river. A very fair (according to President Clinton, the Egyptians, the EU, the Saudis etc. etc.) two state solution was offered and turned down. The author probably knows this, but chooses to write worthless analysis, as a way of getting published. Hey, everyone needs to make a living, but the next time I see his name on a byline, I won't waste my time. Stan