Why not just accept the Arab peace plan -- withdraw to 67 borders and get full duplomatic recognition from all Arab countries, isolating the radicals in the process? Better than withdrawing under fire..

Mr. Ben-Yishai's analysis of the military situation is good - the IDF was living in the past in a fool's paradise. What tanks won in 1967 in the Sinai can't be won in the mountains of Lebanon -the terrain and situations are different. And so on. However, his take on "unilateral withdrawals" is not quite correct. The situation with the Palestinians is not the same as with Hizbullah. Some sort of peace process is necessary, if only over a period of time. One of the current obstacles to this is the presence of numerous small settlements throughout the West Bank. These offer no military advantage and only serve to exacerbate tensions, giving the less responsible element of the settlers opportunity to create problems, while at the same time creating security problems for the IDF and using up precious resources. What we should be doing is consolidating the settler blocs, eliminating the smaller settlements (particularly the illegal outposts, which create political as well as security problems) and fold them into blocs which make economic and security sense. At the same time we must keep a strong military presence throughout the West Bank. This does not mean harassing Palestinians but making sure that security forces are in place to combat any threat. Completing the security fence in a fair and timely manner will help this. Our mistake in Gaza was thinking that we could go out and leave a military vacuum. Vacuums of course get filled immediately. A military presence without civilian settlements reduces security problems, maintains military capability, and provides maneuvering room for future diplomatic action. What is needed

It is time to end the Zionist narrative. Return to the 1967 borders, stop right-wing colonial expansion and allow the return of Palestinians to their homes. The only hope for peace in the Middle East is an integrated Jewish/Arab society in a democratic Israel-Palestine.

I thnk olmert's announcement regarding future withdrawal took the heart out of Israel's soldiers and took the light out of the world.. the fight was going well before that and was a light unto the wortld whether people recognized it or not.. I don't suppose there is hope of the measures that are outlined in the article being implemented? I have read in prophesy that the whole world will turn against Israel. Israel will not, however, stand alone. but it takes enormous courage and committment to stand up and do what is right when the rest of the world is being deceived by the terrorists who are masters of deception. prophesy also says "the truth will be thrown to the ground". Israel, and the world, is in for a very rough time but God says He will not annihalate Israel competely, and there's the promise that the outcome will be good beyond our wildest dreams. in addition, there'll be so many dead terrortists that it'll take Israel 7 months to bury them. be assured, that destruction is decreed for the dome of the rock....and all that it stands for.

the Book of Esther illustrates a vital truth. things don't have to turn out the way they look like they're going. it looks like we are on the brink of something that'd be catastrophic for the entire world. if only every Jew would fast, and turn to HaShem regarding this situation......unfortunately, many of us are planning trips to the mall, business deals and so on... and pretending it's "life as unsual". nothing exraordinary is taking place or that someone else will take care of it.

would it not be wiser to reach out for a political settlement rather than just keep going with this madness so that : " there is a good chance that by July 12th, 2009 we'll be a little better prepared for the next round ". by 12th, 2009 , there will be more, bigger, more sophisticated anti-armored missiles and rockets , with longer reach. new tactics etc etc.. Stop this madness.

One of the most critical parts of fighting a massive guerilla war is a highly trained and supported infantry. It is the key to any success in fighting a war of this type. Yet it is a continued repeated mistake to fight a war like this with long range tech alone. Especialy there is a need to increase the number of special forces units and heavy emphasis on R&D for increasing the effectivness of infanry forces as well as new training techniques to make them more motivated and capable.

Step 1: The current government must be toppled. They are incapable of carrying out the rest of the steps. If Shas had the balls and were patriots they would pull the plug on Olmert and his gang.

Isreal needs clear thinking people leading her. This strategie of blowing up women and children in their apts and shelters is rediculus. I think you should adopt Ron Ben-Yishai's ideas immediately. Get the money and the weaponry you need from the USA, but don't accept the same military strategy that's not working in Iraq!

Mr. Ben-Yishai should be both PM and Defence Minister. If Olmert, Peretz and the rest of the government don't read and act upon this article, woe betide us! Congratulations to Mr. Ben-Yishai for telling it like it is.

The measures that you mentioned are meaningless without real leaders. The military mostly couldnt achieve because of wimpy leaders that couldnt bear the international pressure, thus betraying the IDF in the field of battle.

Ben-Yishai proposes common sense steps Israel must take to confront the threats it faces. But do Israelis recognize those threats? Like alcoholics confronted with their addictions, the Israeli public seems perpetually in denial about the dangers it faces. It compounds Israel's problems by electing leaders who foster and encourage this comforting, yet ominous head-in-the-sand attitude. A Democratic nation is controlled by its citizenry. It is time for the Israeli public to mobilize, and insist on an overwhelming defeat of your enemies. Then, and only then, will you have peace.

Maybe he is being good about not exposing secrets, but there seems to be common knowledge that Israel has a very large nuclear arsenal. If so, I have a feeling she would use it to destroy all these nations (and others) if it got to the ballistic missile range.

And the Arabs believe this war is only part of a Grand Plan by Israel and the USA to wipe out the Arabic countries off the map and conquer their lands. I wonder when the Arabs are going to believe that Israel just wants to live in peace and I wonder when the Israelis will believe that the Arabs just want to know they will not be conquered and bombed by Israel. Human perceptions, us and them, are fascinating. Maybe the only time Peace will happen is when there is some news about some giant Meteor that is thretening to hit the entire middle east that the Israelis and Arabs realize they are humans and are the same, and cooperate against that threat.

Live and Learn My Friends, found therse over at another site. They are sooo cool. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5040457003958805741 and http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9215573308877374512

Read it and weap http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6019699987160996228 The world will never love us, so lets embrace that and accomplish our goals with the Lord in our hearts and minds.

All of the points you have mentioned are to be taken seriously by all those who are concerned. I hope the military as well as the politicians have read this article, if not ps, send it to the Knesset for consideration. God bless you and protect the State of Israel!!!

Hoffer was right after all. " The arabs doesn't want peace proposals or concesions, they just want to destroy Israel ", and again " Whatever is permited to the other nations, is strictly forbiden to the jews ". Israel MUST and WILL survive inspite the arab world. It hurts me to see that Israel is alone but you know, Israel will survive thru the courage of his citizens and on those of his few friends. I for my part, if the survival of Israel will come in to question I'm ready to come to his aid. Yet again I hope that the politicians and the army/intelligence establishment will learn from this bitter lesson.

sensible article-You cant have enough preparation

This is a great strategic plan, but the most important and urgent element was left out. Israelis -- right-wing, left-wing, secular, religious, Ashkenazi and Sephardi -- must reconcile their differences and unite for the common goal of saving the Jewish state from annihilation. We must come together, put aside our differences, and focus on the threat that wants to destroy our country. Islamic fundamentalists who want to erase Israel and establish a caliphate in "the realm of Islam," and other radical anti-Semitic Muslim entities that demonize Israel for political purposes, are coming closer to their final jihad against Israel every day. If Israelis do not realize this and take the proper actions to fight for our survival, our tiny country will cease to exist, simple as that. The power of a nation lies in the nation itself. Only through national unity and moral clarity of our just cause will we prevail.

Even CHIRAC of France recently stated that he will use nuclear weapons if his country was attacked by terrorists of behalf of Iran. There should be no limits in fighting a defensive war !

Perhaps it should be added that Israel should take an active role in breaking down Iran into its pieces. Nationalistic Iranians cannot and will not tolerate losing territory. But Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Baluchestan, Khuzestan and Turkamanestan are all prime targets for independents. The mullahs have to become busy fighting their own internal insurgencies. Losing even one region will be their down fall. This is the policy that the british and russians exerted in the past dealing with the Iranians and punishing them whenever they were out of line. Also, the fact that shieism has been considered a heretical movement by the rest of Islamic world must come to light. The thought that the Iranians only want to restore their past glory at the expense of the Arabs. The Israeli media and Intelligence communities are just way too quite about these issues.

There are eight int'l war conflicts in the world in witch moslems are involved, but the only one that counts for you is the one that involve Jews. Why don't you return back San Francisco to Mexico? Oh..! you are right there is not need, Mexicans are not blowing themselve up, they just get in to work. Why don't you integrate with somebody else? The solution to problem is that the arabs must recognize the right of Israel to exist, and after that nothing will make Israel right to keep the actual statu quo. The question is: Are your beloved poor 500 million arabs and palestinias ready to do so?

IS IT NOW TIME FOR THINKING ABOUT THE JEWS OF ISRAEL MOVING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, SUCH AS THE USA, WHERE THEY WILL BE SAFE? THIS WOULD BE A BACKUP PLAN IF IT LOOKS LIKE IRAN IS NOT STOPPED BY AMERICA FROM GETTING NUKES, AND IS GOING TO THROW ITS NUKES AT ISRAEL, AND ISRAEL WOULD NOT BE WILLING TO LAUNCH A PREMPTIVE NUCLEAR STRIKE THAT WOULD TAKE OUT IRAN. WITH THE MEMORY OF THE HOLOCAUST STILL FRESH, DON'T ALL POSSIBLE PLANS FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE JEWS HAVE TO BE PUT ON THE TABLE AND BE CONSIDERED?

Well - Where is the problem is we apply the UN resolutions and the arab league proposals of Beirut set by KING fahd. There would also be normalisation. WHy jews can live with europeans and not with arabs. They lived with them for long centuries with no problems. I think jews need to start think that what ever happens - they will need to live with arabs on the long run - so we better think to solve our problems with them instead of each time solve it tehcnologically. One day somethign worst might happen- why to make innocent pay the price - Come on - let us go for peace - true peace based on palestinians rights and democratic states -

Democracy, they can’t even have a Sunni and Shiite democracy. You can try your idea at home, but I’m sure you’re not naive enough to do that, because after all… you want human rights. The purpose of Israel is a place where Jews wouldn’t be at the graces of another society, let alone a society and culture that lives a few centuries behind western civilization and is not capable of democracy - yet. And of course the 67 lines will probably be the border lines between Israel and Palestine, but were really really tired of being a minority, thus an integrated Israestine is just California dreaming…

These are all excellent tactical and strategic suggestions. They do not however address the core of our problem. We have come up against the limit of secular Zionism. In so far as we are secular, we have become steadily more European, to the point that we now fight like Europeans, and are approaching the fate of Europeans. We need to restore Jabotinsky's iron wall of bayonets. We can only do that if we have emunah, to know from Hashem that we have the right to defend ourselves. Then we will act decisively, comprehensively, conclusively. Without emunah, our weapons are just so many burdens in our hands. Without emunah, we have the disgrace of the current leadership. With emunah, we will have the ability to destroy our enemies.