B"H These guys propose Israel's annihilation. What is the UN not seeing this as a human rights issue, that a group is asking for the annihilation of the Jews? Clearly such talk is not one of an enemy defeated and ready for peace. It is definately a Hunda preparation for the next round. The "withdrawal" of the Israelis mean from Israel and not from any additional territory. The sooner Tel Aviv realizes this, the better the outcome.

Either Olmert has lost his mind completely, or, he has something up his sleeve? No one can be so foolish to expect this latest cease fire to hold. So, what is behind it all I ask? Israel is like a spouse who has been abused. He (she) tries in vain to make things work. The more they do, the worse things get. Sooner or later there is a divorce. Israel needs to give the PA a time frame, maybe 1 week., after which it should call up the reserves, take back parts of the Strip, (Philadelphia Corridor first), and destroy the militants once and for all. Otherwise, look for the UN to intervene as in Lebanon, solely to protect their Palestinian clients. Israel, youd better wake up, or you might just lose it all. Remember, Iran is lurking out there.

you guys don't even want peace... how about writing an article on that.

What other nation on the planet goes out of it's way to help their enemy destroy them ? Only one nation, Israel. The incompetent leadership makes the same mistake time and again assuming a different outcome from the people of jihad. Insanity ,thy name is Israel. You refuse to deal in reality and so you deal in death and blood and in never ending war ,you foolish Jews. The peace of Islam is the absence of Israel ,Why can't you understand this reality ? Defeat them before they defeat you ,foolsih and faithless people who shame Hashem by your act of rewarding evil.

If Israel had half an ounce of brains they would carpet bomb gaza.

We all knew this is why they offered the truce so what is new? The only question is why was the offer even considered. Being a American and a non Jew to boot, who just recently started following Israeli news. I feel I really didn't know enough about Israels political scene to express an opinion on Olmert. Knowing what people think of him here I have to look at his statements "Olmert said Israel would display "patience and restraint" in the face of Palestinian violations of the cease-fire." and "Olmert said Israel will be ready to evacuate occupied lands and settlements in return for "real peace." "You have to stop violence and terror, to recognize our right to live in peace and security by your side and to give up the right of return. That's a right, natural and possible target," he said. " You listen to what he says and then listen to Fatah and Hamas talk about their unflinching quest to destroy Israel and wonder what planet Olmert is living on. What did giving up Gaza get you? Why doesn't this guy just bend over and grab his ankles? I will tell you this, if he does you can bet the Palis will not crack the seal on that jar of Vaseline and I'm sure they'll throw a bucket of sand on him before they give him his just reward for being a schmuck We in America learned one very important lesson in Vietnam. The only way to negotiate is from a position of strength. You must beat your opponent right into the ground applying unbearable pressure, keeping them off balance and on the run. I am by nature a very kind and generous man, BUT I understand that we live in a world of people who are not. As such I learned to, never compromise or show mercy to the Cretans of life. If Olmert is betrayed by the Palestinians and is made a fool of. I do believe he must go.

Every time I look at the news in Israel I am astounded by the cocamamie leadership Israel has. First, they say that it is "ludicrous" to have a cease fire with the Gazans. A few days later they are signing on a cease fire with terrorists with one goal to rebuild to kill Jews. Next, Olmert and Peretz are taking credit for this suicide pack. This is only the latest example in the ship of fools, called the Israeli government. The government and army has no directions, no plans, and no leadership. On the other hand, Hamas, Hizballah, Fatah, etc... say what they mean and do what they say. I cannot believe it. Why do the Israelis leave in power this team of incomepetent ninkumpoops of Olmert, Peretz, Livni, and Halutz. It is beyond my ability to understand. Please help!!!

I agree with the analogy of Dave Levi on Israel being like an abused spouse. This situation is complicated however. Carpet bombing is not the solution either as there are normal people there as well. The problem in these societies is that the violent rebels rather than the intellectuals have been allowed to take power. When the point of the ceasefire is clearly intellectual (let's talk) and the terrorist leadership twists the meaning to openly state it will use the time to "recuperate" so that it may attack again, this pretty clearly shows us what kind of people we are dealing with here. These people should be brawling it out at the local football match like they do in other countries, not leading the country. I very much give my courage to those who need it in this society to overcome this deadly sillyness.

How many people here would call the Stern Gang and Irgun terrorist organizations? It is remarkable how many similarities exist between the tactics of these early Jewish resistance movement and that of Palestinian resistance movements. Yet today, Irgun and the Stern Gang are often seen as heros of Israeli independence, despite their illegal importation of arms, bombing of the King David Hotel, and other attacks on Arab civilians in addition to attacks on the British. In fact, this past summer Benjamin Netanyahu laid a plaque commemorating the King David Hotel bombing! Imagine if Hamas were to someday lay a plague commemorating a terrorist bombing somewhere in Jerusalem? This was an act of terroism now being celebrated by right-wing factions in Israel. When Jews were struggling for independence they were condemned as terrorists by the dominant British. Now when Palestinians struggle for independence they are labeled terrorists by the dominant Israel. My point is that one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. Now don't get me wrong, I don't support the use of violence under any circumstance, especially when it is perpetrated against civilians. I would like someone, who believes the Jewish resistance against the British was justified, but believes the Palestinian resistance movement is terrorism, to tell me why one can be justified and the other cannot be? Is it, as it appears, simply a matter of which side of the conflict one is on?

The reaction of the terrorists gives Israel a unique opportunity. They should say to the world that they will keep the cease fire as long as the other side does, but that the moment the cease fire is broken, all bets are off. Israel should announce beforehand to the Palestinians and the rest of the world so that no mistake can be made that should the cease fire be broken, Israel will immediately clear all land in Gaza of buildings and population, up until the range of rocket fire that can reach Israel. Only if the world and the Palestinians know that there is a real price to pay, will a cease fire hold. If it is broken, they have no one to blame but themselves.

the palestinians are being forced to give up their right to return. what kind of peace process is this really going to be. you guys just want the majority and will do anything to get it. i wouldn't make peace with you either.

WND's next interviews should be with Peretz and Halutz. Will they tell us how israel is preparing for the next round too? Not in such detail for sure. Of course everyone will recuperate and re-arm. Our history from Milhemet Atzmaut until now is full of such breaks. What is astonishing is the fear that so many Israelis have been taught for the last five years is good to enjoy. More so as Israel-despite the 2nd Lebanon War - is still the most powerful and the most feared nation in the region. What is true strength is not retaliating and for once Israel is doing that and offering a diplomatic iniatiative too- so sadly absent in the summer. The key is in the words Olmert spoke today:"Do not be fooled by our internal differences, our political rivalries or the gloomy atmosphere which we sometimes project." Out of the gloom for which he bears so much responsibility there is a miniscule glimmer of something else, a vision even, and that from a man who seems bereft of such. Who knows.

Forget what the world thinks. What matters is what the enemy thinks - if they respect Israel, they will back down. By respect of course I mean fear, because given how much passion hatred they have for Jews, the only kind of respect we're ever going to get is fear. We need Netanyahu, as much as I can't stand him personally (i.e., he's a raving megalomaniac). He will put the fear back in our enemies, and knows how to tell the world to go f itself. And he won't pull a 180 like Sharon did. It is so blatantly clear that this verbal and physical onslaught on Israel from all corners is a DIRECT result of Israel's perceived weakness. Israel is seen as a fractured mess of a country with a defeated and hapless armed forces.

Two days ago, Bibi was on TV over here, and ok, just looking gorgeous. That aside, he needs to get his butt back home and take care of business. I think, he's waiting for somebody to beg him. So, somebody beg, already.

STFU gabfag when jews can live in thier ancestrial homeland and return to algeria, iraq etc... and live in peace and saftey then we'll see as 4 u go f ur self

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on. But the mad political scientists Rice & Livni want to make yet another destructive experiment with Jewish lives in Israel.

The PALs deployed 13000 police to control their borders and so far they have had marginal success in stopping the Qassams. If they don't succeed Israel will go back into Gaza with one plan or another. The most likely will be an attack far stronger than Autumn rain. However, this would be repeating the same mistakes. The Arabs have been better at adapting than IDF. There are two primary threats from the PAL terrorist: Qassam and Kidnappings. The most effective political and military strategy for Qassams is simplly to manufacture and shoot back inaccurate cheap low tech Qassam rockets indescriminately into Gaza and terrorize the PALs exactly the same way they have done to residents of Sderot. They understand an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The UN and the world can accept this scenario far better than the perceived "David and Goliath" story that the PAL sell to the world. Israel will simply say "You stop shooting Qassams at us and we will stop shooting Qassams back." No danger to IDF elite units. No enormous costs of high tech aircraft, weapons, etc. Just simple terror vs. simple terror and see who can take it more - Sparsely populated Israeli cities or densely populated PAL cities. KIDNAPPINGS. Pals are threatening to intensify the kidnappings. Ironically the answer was provided by Israeli settlers acting like terrorists. They kidnapped a PAL women. There is absolutely nothing that will destroy the PAL plan more that IDF going and instead of arresting the terrorists, arrest their mothers, sisters, and daughters. Obviously they will be housed and well provided for but simply arresting and holding their females will be a far more effective weapon against their abductions and is guaranteed to secure the release of all three Israeli prisoners. To defeat one's enemies one must understand them, their culture and mentality and then exploit every weakness and vulnerability. While we hope for peaceful coexistence, we must also be prepared for the worst and the Arab terrorist are certainly demonstrating their worst in some of the messages and threats that they are broadcasting. Now is the time for us to make plans for both war and peace and be ready for whatever comes.

UN are you taking note plz?

Lest we forget, there was a Jewish and Muslim partition of Palestine, by the UN no less. We accepted, the Arabs didn't. A war was fought, and the Arab lost. That loss negated all previous UN resolutions. More wars, and more divisions of land occurred later, as we all know. Had Israel lost, there today would be no talking. 500,000 Arabs relocated and 700,000 Jews from Arab lands. There is no automatic right of return, Read UN resolutions for confirmation. UN 242 is the real road map..(both sides living in agreed to and secure boundries). Israel has no obligation to it's enemies, and they are plenty. This entire 100 yr old conflict could be resolved today..with Olmert's latest. It won't. You know why, because the Arabs want US dead, that's why. When Israel wakes up to this reality, some of the problem will be resolved. My solution: "A timetable" (lets say 1wk). Then call up 500,000 reservists, and finish Hamas off permanenlty. We, 10m Jews and "Infidels", I believe, will aid little Israel. Please, give us a chance Olmert. We will come with guns blazing. And don't forget 70m Evangelicals who know we (Jews) are the chosen people to inhabit ancient Palestine (Israel), not the migrant Arabs from Egypt, Syria and Turkey (the so-called Palestinians). BTW, read the Palestine Post (it was Jewish).

We take it for granted that every minute of every day the Jewish state is stockpiling weapons, collecting intelligence, preparing its death squads (or "targeted killing units" if you prefer). Yet should any other power be it the Palestinians, or the Iranians, or the Lebanese do anything to strengthen themselves militarily, Zionists expect the world to regard it as mencing and evil; as if only Jews are allow to prepare for war, and anyone else must be permanently helpless before you. Try again.

Yes , Jews should have the right to return to Poland. Some also came from Arab lands where they were treated much better than in Europe - until the Zionists invaded Palestine with the idea that they owned the place. The reduced popularity of Jews in Arab lands after 1948 is quite understandable, don't you think?

jewish people are fighting on their own land, arabs are fighting to occupy the jewish lands, period.

Do you really think that the Palestininans are fooling Olmert? He knows that they will never keep the cease fire, but he fooled them too. He is not going to give them some land back, he is going to give them ALL THE LAND back!!!

is politically dead and this makes him impossibly to trust even if one thinks he is doing the right thing (as in now). israeli credibility is weak and the palestinians are abusing this leniency again as they have done time and again in the past. what is needed for a time is a crazy prime minister like lieberman or effi eitam or somebody worse who will (first) nuke iran and unleash a real living hell on the palestinians (19 people in an apartment block by a stray artillery shell is just a hint of what could really happen if a madman took charge of israel). then maybe there will be some real talking. especially after iran is turned into glass, people will understand that 'never again' was not simply an idle statement but real words.

I think it is a matter of goals. Irgun and the Stern gang were trying to tell the British that it was time for them--a colonial power with their own country to return to--to leave so Jews could have a place to live absent British racism, Jew-hatred and harrassment. The Palestinians are telling the Israelis, with their bloodcurdling violence targeting men, women and children, that Jews have no right to live in Israel, that they have no right to live at all. It is quite simplistic to quote the old saw that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." The Palestinians do not want a peaceful neighbor in Israel; they want a graveyard full of Jews, which they will then stomp on. The equation you suggest is false. I wish this were not so, but a people who really want a state and independence with dignity would spend time building a judicial system, educating children to be part of a diverse world, and cultivating brain power. The Palestinians blame Israel for all they will not do, use summary executions of their own people in place of a justice system, and indoctrinate their children to hate. There simply is no equivalence here, historically or morally.

Israel has been viciously attacked by these rockets over and over. Wanting peace is a tall order when you are awash in enemies. I hope the truce holds, but there are many murderers that will have nothing to do but rearm for the next round of senseless attacks on Israel....... Matt , Lincoln, NE (11.26.06)

Israel should help these terrorists have their right of return......return them to Jordan , Egypt and the surrounding arab countries that they came from. Only about 8% are native to the area and the world needs to know this !!!

Olmert has to resign NOW !!!! The fool is a danger to Israels survival. He plays into the terrorists hands everytime and never learns from his mistakes in the short period that he has been PM. How can he stay in office with only a 7% approval rating? This is ridiculous. Please someone organise a rally to oust this government before its too late.....ill be there.