As an occasional talkbacker (or is it backtalker?) who writes when he/she/it has something to comment on, I find the threats to my privilege of anonymity another instance of the streak of intolerance, totalitarianism and bigotry in Israeli society. Truth to tell, it took a few weeks of Ynet talkback reading to see that the contributions vary as chalk does to cheese. Comments range from totally irrelevant and illiterate gibberish, signed with obviously phoney names, to words of wit and wisdom by intelligent and concerned people. In a democracy one should have the right to separate the wheat from the chaff, to recognise the pearls among the bullshit. Isn't life like that in an open society? Most people are assholes trying to convince you into accepting all kinds of views, but by your experience you learn to recognise what is genuine and what is hype. Hemingway said a writer had to have a built in bullshit-detector or something to that effect.

The leftists will always try to stop freedom of speech. They can not take critism,because they are mostly wrong. Someday the people of Israel will rise up and we will jail every member of the govt and deny them the rights that they deny us. We deserve better and our young leave here for freedom that they are denied by the knesset,the courts,the cops and the govt "workers". Someday we will have a knesset that looks out for our freedom,defense and future. We need people that will run the country with the interests of the public placed first and foremost .

''its only words and words are all i have'' to change the way i think.

Hold on tight this government is taking us back to the dark ages, just how incompetence can this government get?

The wide range of views and the fact that people have the freedom to express themselves without fear of political correctness, is tantalizing. Love reading what ordinary people are thinking in their hearts And besides there are monitors that can censure ideas that they don't want to publish, so I don't fully understand concern unless it really is scaring them that, ideas might show up dishonesty.Ordinary people can sometimes see right through a matter , that those in authority have become insensitive to, because of daily pressures, but most people hide themselves when the 'wicked' rule.

Forcibly identifying people wont do much, specially since many, many tbs are being censored on POLITICAL GROUNDS ONLY. I speak for myself, who many times, have my tb censored, without one foul word in it, but probably very bothersome to our leftist ruling class. Oh, could you imagine going back to Rabin's days, when tens of settlers, rightwingers were sytematically trown into dark, rat ridden cells, for "administrative " reasons ??? Oh no, sounds like we are going to have our phonecalls recorded too Nonetheless it bothers me sometimes, all those tbkers who expect to be taken seriously , when responding to other tbs, and dont dare write some id

After "pondering" my previous post, I have managed to come up with a logical justification for talkbacks: While we're sitting in front of our computers and revel in our cleverness, we don't rob banks, kill anybody, call and harass our kids/parents/friends, waste gas driving hither and yon and maybe have wrecks, hang around some mall and spend money on foolish things and don't sit in fast-food joints and load up on transfats. As for me personally, I did not make the messes around here, either. What I thought were messes are simply part of the decor, plus or minus a few cobwebs and dust bunnies. Surely, nobody is threatened by any of this. If they are, they have much bigger problems.

We all know this. For example, when Nadia Matar likened Yonatan Bassi to the Judenrat, she was arrested, interrogated, and tried for "insulting a public official," a charge that is supposed to prevent people from cussing out a policeman or government clerk, but not to prevent political speech. Even the judge at the trial asserted the political motives of the prosecution, after which he dismissed the case. Going back a bit, Sharon threatened anyone who protested against "disengagement," saying they were guilty of "incitement." Then there's Sharon's closing down of Arutz 7, a settler-based radio station. Free speech would not need to be guaranteed if the speech one heard were always pleasant to listen to.

censoring perfectly reasonable TBs, you will lose some of us much quicker than you think. I, for one, am awfully pissed that a recent TB that points to one participant's anti-Semitism has been deleted. At the same time, your censors are happy to print TBs with language like "fairy." So please, don't pretend that Ynet engages professional and unbiased censors -- far too many are neither.

If they can't take the heat, MK HASSON and others should get out of politics, especially Middle-East politics. After all, its the Israeli politicians and Chief Rabbis that stir up the controversy by their selfish and ill-conceived actions and behaviors. If they can't handel it, and as a result want to supress dissent, they do not belong in democratic government. That goes for every last one of them. Occasional harsh criticism comes with the political territory in a democracy. These MKs should know this by now. Did they just arrive by boat or something ? Could this be evidence of incompetence ? More than this, the fact that they are willing to limit talkbackers opinions and criticisms by exposing them to the hidden dangers of internet wackos as well as insinuate possible censorship is clear to me that things are not as they should be in Israel, that state officials are willing to continue with business as usual. Statements such as Hassons would be better left unsaid because they reveal politicians fear of exposure and their duplicity in the current and unsavory practices which have placed Israel on a slippery slope of discontent and vulnerability. At the bottom of this slippery slope is the denial of free speech and the dictatorial and totalitarian control of ideas and free thought, so common among left wing regimes such as Soviet Communism, Castros Cuba, Germanys National Socialism, and oppressive Middle -East regimes such as Saddams reign. If people cannot feel free to express their grievences and disappointments about givernment and it's officials in an open forum free of danger and reprisals, to compare and exchange information, then that society is no longer democratic, is no longer free, and is no place where myself, my family, my friends and loved ones belong. Israel could immediately restore a measure of harmony by abolishing the post of Chief Rabbinate. Second it should clean house of political parasites and deadwood. Third, it should begin work on a written Constitution, that will bring a new begining to Israel. Fourth, it should declare itself a Jewish Secular State backed and protected by its Constitution. Fifth, the people should be educated in democratic principles and away from freedom threatening political systems, practices and charismatic politicians and rabbis with unpluralistic ideals.

How do you regulate it? This is the Internet, this is Cyberspace, this is its own world. It is VERY difficult to pass legislation regarding the Internet as it is so spread out. A US company may own a webserver in Europe and do business in Africa. Each continenet is a multitude of nations and laws, in some cases contradictory. Nope, I would not worry about this legislation passing. If it does, the server could be moved out of the country.

If in the same law that you take away the anonymity of talkbackers you grant them with the same legal immunity enjoyed by all MK's, which allows them to say whatever they want whenever they want, whether anonymous or out in the open. maybe that'd be fair. But these MK's want us to be beholden to laws that they themselves aren't beholden to. Anyway, the Supreme Court would probably knock this one out anyway.

Yep - isn't that the most idiotic law, "insulting a public official"? Of all people who don't deserve immunity to insults, it's "public officials"? LOLOLOL We have a political culture in Israel that has evolved a citizenry that serves it's elected officials. Hassan's proposal is only one more proof of this, and it's time for the tide to turn.

Politicians are uncomfortable with opinions & considering the lousy job our MK's do, they are a bit sensitive. But opinion talkbacks are a form of reality contact for everyone. First, it keeps the media on its toes - really stupid reports deserve ridicule. Second, we all like to know if others think as we do. Third, in my opinion, it's good for Israelis to see what the Israel-Bashers have to say - many Israelis have never been exposed to anti-Semitism. Fourth, maybe talkbacks will make people less apathetic about participating in politics; the apathy is why we have such a lousy gov't. And fifth, free expression is a value in its own right. Don't let anyone take it away.

If this law is passed, it'll silence those of us in Israel who speak out for our country, while leaving those who contribute their opinions from outside the country with immunity for their words. Israeli talkback sites will either become a cesspool of anti-Israel banter, or a battleground for pro and anti-Israel debates for non-Israelis. What's good about that? Shouldn't Israeli websites permit Israelis to speak their mind as openly as non-citizens? Is Israel a place that gives its own citizens less priviledges than foreigners? If Hasson really wants to make a contribution, let him vote into the Israeli educational curriculum, with adequate funding, a program that teaches people taking responsibility for themselves, including their words and thoughts, rather than having the state solve all their problems and think for them. Maybe that'd achieve the same result of responsible commenting that he wants after several years, but whether it does or not, our comments are part of the background banter that, right or wrong, defines how we see events unfolding in Israel. It seems to me that MK Hasson would benefit from seeing the misperceptions as much as the correct perceptions, so that he can actually DO something to set the misperceived right. Shutting them up, rather than talking right back at them, is pointless.

FIGHT BACK!

Israel has become a society of public hate-mongers, slanderers, liars, blasphemers, deceivers, imposters and the like. That's in public. What despicable people say in private is typically more extreme than what they dare say publicly. I've posted for a long time identifying myself and I'm not in jail or persecuted by the government for it. I am however, lied about by slanderers and misrepresented by imposters. If they were forced to identify themselves I could exact remedy in a court of law. I'm all for requiring posters to identify themselves. If you can't take the heat stay the heck out of the kitchen but stop acting like roaches when the lights come on. Requiring posters to identify themselves would almost certainly raise the level of both intelligence and discussion in these forums, which is now often in the gutter and intellectually inferior to an average chimp. Those who fear identifying themselves are the hate-mongers, slanderers, liars, blasphemers, deceivers, imposters and the like. Those who have something intelligent to say and the courage to stand behind their convictions won't be dissuaded by identifying themselves. On the contrary, it's an opportunity to stand up and be counted rather than act like a 2-bit gang delinquent in a park with a can of paint and what he or she thinks is a clever line. People of culture? Maybe if this measure passes but certainly not now. Paqid Yirmeyahu Israeli Orthodox Jew Advancing Logic as Halakhic Authority Welcoming Jews & non-Jews www.netzarim.co.il

I personally, don't hid behind any mask. If I had the chance to say, some of my responses to their faces, belive me, I would. It would please me to no end to tell, Yossi Beilin, Shimon Peres... off right to their faces.

Must I remind you that you both live in Israel the rest of the world is not so forgiving and safe. There is a lot of Hate out here in Disaspora Land and a lot of wackos.

...you know for sure won't do exactly the same. Hint: you won't have to remove your shoes for this one.

i like your post ,, but my son do not like me to stay or send atalk back and he say [ they are laughing at you .. but i smile and tell him .. it is okey .it is your openion only .. i think only my son is laughing at me .

i use not to use names , always i speake in general ,, as the people , the man , somebody .. and so on .. it is not on talkback . but also in my life daily speaking to any one .. . and mostly i put my openion as an idea .. or in a like story from the life ,, and some times as a joke .. so i like your openion .. i forget yours name . but do not forget the advice

You get the truth this way- people will be afraid to write their feelings- and I mean the arab haters and the isralei haters. Hate sucks but at least this is just words- people do give insults here and actually SO WHAT.

seriously, there aren't more important issues on their agenda. this is pathetic and it's fascism in it's essence. censorship won't achieve anything. #47 made an excellent point. i can't imagine any israelis who would actually go for this is. it's simply absurd.