IS HIS ONLY THOUGHT IS THAT HE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO FRIENDLY WITH THE ISRAELI ''CITIZENS''. THAT HE CALLS 'SETTLERS' ? HE WAS NOT WORRIED ABOUTTHE CITIZENS COMPLETE DISPAIR AND PAIN AND DEPRESSION? NOT THAT THEIR HOMES BUSINESSES AND LIFE IS BEING TURNED OVER TO THE ARABS? RAMALLAH WAS HANDED OVER TO THE ARABS ONLY LAST YEAR AN ANCIENT SYNANGOGUE WAS UNCOVERED UNDERNEATH AN ARAB HOME..... YOU MAKE THE CONCLUSION.

is this all he said, or just all you cared to publish?

Did a 4th grader write this article and did they interview a complete bloody fool? If he is the one who will be doing the planning in the future, then G-d forbid, Israel will have no future.

He is so called colonel because he was doing what Sharon-Olmert families told him to do. Since we care much less about those families, he must also go. What a dishonest individual. That why we have the Oslo war, war in Gaza, war in Lebanon, and soon war in Samaria. With all these "yes" guys we do not need enemies.

The role that has been forced upon the IDF in the territories for almost forty years now is obviously not THE reason for Israel's defeat in the last war, but it certainly contributed to it. As this incomplete article shows - and as the furious, predictable reactions by Mr Ben Gvir and other settlers and their supporters indicate - the occupation has been one of the main causes for the army's involvement in Israel's internal and external politics, an involvement that hurts both Israel as a democracy and the army as the main body that should protect our state. Also, while for decades we and our sons and daughters have been trained mainly for police and paramilitary roles, many of us are not able anymore to think and fight like real soldiers. An army whose main task it has become to protect a privileged though sometimes almost hostile civilian population against terrorists and amidst a very hostile civilian population cannot be expected to be just as able to fight real wars. Just look how afraid we were to attack Syria, even though such an attack might have brought us much better results and would definitely have strenghened our deterrence. But no, the IDF was afraid to confront a real army. I am not blaming 'the' settlers ( but rather the politicians of the Right and the Left, who pampered and (ab)used them for 40 years to further their own interests ), and I am not naive enough to believe that an end of the occupation will bring us peace ( it is only an excuse for our enemies ) but I do believe that the occupation hurts us more than it hurts the Palestinians, both from within and from without.

DAVID FROM HAIFA - YOU ARE BLAMING THE SETTLERS - SO YOUR LONG RESPONSE COULD HAVE SUFFICED WITH ONE STATEMENT - THE REST WAS A LESSON WE ALL KNOW.

THIS FAT MAN WOULD OBVIOUSLY LIKE TO DEAL WITH HAMAS BARBARIANS IN THE WEST BANK RATHER THAN PEOPLE WHO LOVE ERETZ ISRAEL PASSIONATELY.WHAT A THOROUGHLY DISUSTING STUPID MAN.

If Mary had read and understood all that I wrote she would not have SHOUTED whatever she wanted to say. When she writes that "the rest ( of my 'long response' ) was a lesson we all know", does that mean that she ( together with all the others who belong to her 'we all' ) knows that I am right? Maybe that explains the desperate ways in which people like Mary try to make their point and to get it through.

.....In the US Army a colonel with the amount time in service that failed get a least his first general star is considered a failure. One does not appoint a military failure to General Staff . Why the IDF has problems is becoming quite apparent for it seams appointments are made for idealogical political correctness as opposed to a soilder ability and merit.

Why would anyone be surprised that 50,000 soldiers succeeded in defeating 8,500 people (mostly little kids) in Gush Katif but using 20,000 less soldiers it lost in Lebabon? Talk about priorities!

He is a product of the idiot school of Israel. Seems that thats the only one producing such morons. Israel is in deep trouble with these types of idiots. You are on your own. Have a nice day!

HOW STUPIED DOES ISREAL THINK SETTLERS ARE.THEY EXPECT THE SETTLERS JUST TO GIVE UP THERE HOMES FOR PEACE BEFORE JUSTICE.THE SETTLERS SHOULD ASK OLMERT TO GIVE UP HIS HOME IN TEL AVIV FOR A 3 MONTH FAKE PEACE.AND IF THE WEAK OLMERT SAYS NO TO THE DEAL THAN HE IS A RADICAL.BECAUSE THE INDIGENOUS JEWS OF THE WEST BANK THE SO CALLED SETTLERS ARE CONSIDER RADICAL FOR NOT GIVEING UP THERE HOMES AND LAND TO THE ARABS.

Without going into my reasons (which wouldn't interest you anyway), I too hate the settlers.

Haifa is "occupied" Don't you get it?

He was rewarder for for his bad behavior by Olmert. Now, the lesson to everybody else. If you are like this guy you get promoted. If you die in Lebanon your parents will get a letter from Olmert. You must listen to Olmert's daughter and then do what she says. What a disgrace. Israel is in a very big trouble if other "colonels" are like this guy.

Colonel Bazak epitomises a military man who is more comfortable uprooting Jews from their homes than he is fighting the true enemies of the Jewish people. I don't generally indulge in ad hominum arguments but I feel justified in commenting on the appearance of Colonel Bazak. He is overweight and out of shape and heavy-jowled and dressed casually and sloppily during an interview wherein he is representing the IDF. Not a pretty picture , indeed.

I'M WITH MARY ON THIS ONE. I KNOW WHAT SHE MEANS BY 'WE' AND OBVIOUSLY YOU, DAVID DO NOT, BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO EXCLUDE AN DELUDE YOURSELF. YOU WISH TO BELIEVE THAT THE BLAME LIES WITH THE 'SETTLERS' AND THAT 'WE' ARE NOT THE VICTIMS HERE BUT THE ARABS ARE. CLEARLY, DAVID 'WE' KNOW WHO YOU ARE INCLUDING YOURSELF WITH. I AM SHOUTING TOO, I GUESS, BECAUSE IT IS VERY DISTURBING TO SEE GUYS LIKE YOU, WHO ARE SO CONDESCENDING, WHO TRY TO PATRONIZE THOSE WHO ACTUALLY FEEL SOMETHING IN THEIR HEART AND KNOW THAT A COMPLETE TRAGEDY IS UNFOLDING BEFORE OUR EYES. YOU, WITH YOU YOUR PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL B.S., ARE TOO BUSY TRYING TO 'ASSESS' AND PROVE HOW PRUDENT YOU ARE, TO SEE THAT YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR PEOPLE ARE GOING DOWN RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY CLOUDED EYES. TAKE OFF YOUR ROSE COLORED GLASSES AND LOOK. I AM TIRED OF APOLOGISTS LIKE YOU. ENOUGH ALREADY!

Col.Bazak's actions are aganist the state of Israel and its people. He should be removed along with other imcompetent Israeli leaders.

most of those here supporting the settler live well outside Israel and they don't have to risk their lives to protect these settler fascists. They seem to think they know much better than the Israelis what is what. Well I got news for you GALUT, SHUT UP!!!!!

I am ashamed to have served in the IDF is such a person is being promoted. The era of political generals is back and the IDF will suffer for it. This man does not know who his true freinds are. Amonah was on giant violence fest not because of the demonstrators but because of Police brutalty and lousy commanders such as Bazak. The only good I see in this is that maybe someone better will take his place. He is the tipical example of being kicked upstairs due to his imcompetence in the field.

I think pathetic rather than funny...these macho galut males and females compensate for their impotence with strident fascist overtones in talkback

It is just typical that most of the extremist reactions - to the words of a man who has dedicated more than half of his life to the army and who - like so many of us - mostly received curses ( 'Nazi', 'traitor' etc. ) as an expression of thanks for his hard work - come from people who will probably never have the guts to come here and do what so many leftwing and liberal real Zionists do. Also typical that so many of those who think they have the right to verbally abuse Mr Bazak and to question his dedication to this state think that they have to SHOUT. Is it because they are aware that their message is not really heard or accepted by most Israelis, and that their fight for a Great Israel - at the cost of our morals, our economy, our security etc. - is a lost cause? Those who use the 'argument' that Haifa is just as occupied as Hebron simply show a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the history of Zionism, and prove that our biggest enemies within and without have much in common. After all, our enemies from without claim the same thing as 'Kyle' from 'Southpark', and they also have a huge stake in the continuation of the occupation: without it they would lose their raison d'etre and the main excuse for their crimes.

Bazak is in the IDF to make money. Like Sharon's family, they all went to the IDF, as we know now, to make money. They don't care about Jews. Through Jewish history there were several famous corrupt generals, some of them even converted (to Islam or other "religions"). By the way your hero Olmert, never served in combat in IDF while I had served. Peres never served in IDF. Never. If not for the heroic soldiers from Judea, Samaria and Gaza, who will defend Israel? People from North Tel Aviv? Of course not, they do NOT serve. As to the expulsion, Ya'alon :"The Disengagement was not the result of thorough strategic analysis, but the result of [then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharonís] political distress,", now or in the future

Setlers are not to befrended? Why? because they are JEWISH? Perhaps a "too Jewish" for HIS taste? Military that braves itself against its own CIVIL POPULATION is not a national army of a sovergn state, but rather becomes a "strong arm" of tyranical excesess of few IDIOTS that are making "social experiments" with its people. Government of DEMOCRACY is SERVANT of its people ALL OF ITS PEOPLE. Ethnic cleansing of one NEIGHBOURHOOD WILL NOT BENEFIT OTHER NEIGHBOURHOODS. Expulsion of Jews from the Gaza did not benefit Jews from the North of Israel. Expoulsion of Jews from Gaza BOLDENED ENEMIES on the North and they WON, and they will keep winning as long there are IDIOTS in power that consder JEWS to be their MAIN PROBLEM instead of their ONLY SALAVATION. Jews are "setllers" all JEWS are setllers excep fewt "moral" tourists, that OCCUPY possitions that are dangerous to the existence of Israel. Israel has to make its mind to wake-up of this BAAAaad "TRIP" (social "experiments") and to embrace RESPONSIBILITY of BEING A NATION ... WITHOUT APPOLOGIES TO ANYONE! Idiots with the weapons are dangerous to everyone. One who hates the Jes is THE enemy, what is his background who cares, what he plans to do? and what damages he can make for the whole country on the position he holds is enormous. If his new military doctrine is a civil war? Who wants it? Is this a new policy of the guys who lost every battle with every arab freak in the "hood" so they are turning against their own population... what a mess? Perhaps IDF is loosing on the account of idiots that are having "mixed feelings" whom they are serving and who the ENEMIES ARE? Talmud is saying "ONE WHO HAS THE MERCY ON AMALEK ENDS UP DESTROYING A CITY OF KOHANIM" (Gaza... Judea and Samaria... etc. etc. Glan?)... so true even today eh?

Why were rockets launched at Haifa? Did I imagine that?

Deep thinkers, these are "settler fascists" who protect your life and IDF forces, not the other way around. The bullets they get would have been getting in to your stupid heads and lower abdomens, if they would not have distract the insects to attack their tiny communities. They disperse the insects; their energy and resources, keeping them away from major targets. The colonel should eat less and protect himselfe from fat brain consequences.

No wonder the Arabs think they can defeat Israel. This Officer will actually be in charge of the IDF operational command & he has no idea WHY he is defending the land of Israel. From his perspective all he cares about is defending a piece of real estate he happens to live on, and cares nothing about the uniqueness of the Jewish homeland. In effect, he is just a good little soldier and wil execute whatever plans they tell him to. Kind of reminds me of the German officers. He has no regrets about the brutality that took place against fellow Jews by the army and police in Amona. Instead he blames the victims that got beat upside their heads and trampled on. As for the perceived lack of gratitude from the 'settlers' - that's the army's job and that is what officers get paid for! If they don't want to be in charge of a command, get the heck out and let someone else do it. The 'settlers' don't owe the officers a damn thing. It is army who owes them protection.