What calm? Calm is the border between Luxembourg and belgium. Even 2-3 rockets or attacks are not calm, how long before a Kassam hits a school or a group of people and there are many casualties? No mor "martyrs for peace" No more gestures until the Kassems stop. There is no acceptable level of attacks.

"the calm will collapse"?! Israel is a Pathetic country, fix it or close it!!!!!!! i think its enough deaths both Jewish and Not

and deal with Iran. It is like an octopus with 8 arms that regenerate when you cut them off. If you don't go for the head, you will never win.... Never again go after the PA's, Never again go after Hezbolla, You must state you directives and achieve them... not dilly dally. Keep the restraint, show all the other middle east countries that you are noble and honorable enough to lead the middle east and they will follow you...

It all depends on Israel's response. If the response is a half baked one, like in Lebanon, with one eye on the TV, yes it will make things worse. If the response is overwhelming, as in, destroy all towns from which rockets emanate, sparing no one and nothing, destroy the syrian government and the terrorist offices, destroy the area around the Philadelphi corridor and do it all from tjhe air so Israel does not lose a single soldier, then a response will make things better. Pre-emptively destroy all Hamas strongholds in southern Lebanon, again sparing no one and nothing, will make Saudi Arabia and Iran think again about the "weakened" Israelis. Furthermore, Israel must launch a media war, to counteract the hatred teaching by the arabs. The jails are a good place to start the education process. Change the terrorist into shlichim, for a pro-Israel peace. Broadcast provocative messages into the territories, Jordan, Sinai and Gaza, so that eventually people will question the message of Islam and start to believe the mesage of Judaism.

Abba Eban once said that "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity". They have been working hard on perfecting the art of suicide from individuals all the way to their govt. by electing HAMAS to represent them. Now we see their direction in expediting their demise. Try to remember the unity and anger of USA after 9/11 and the support that Pres. Bush had then. Imagine what would be the backlash for Palestinians should they actually succeed in another major attack on USA. The may just get their death wish.

Hamas is testing Israel's patience and guts. Seem like it's getting less and less each passing day.

will never stop killing. They have been brought up to be psychopaths, intent on killing anyone who disagrees with them, no matter how sane, the option to their crazy philosophy might be. Let the vermin kill one another, rather than innocent Jews. Unleash their hatred of one another and let them clean house. When enough of them succumb to death.....maybe rational thinking will occur again. If that doesn't occur.....everyone will be exterminated.

Olmert is wrong in his analysis of the situation. It is irrelevant what the enemies would be doing in the face of Israel's response. Israel definitely has a big problem with the wrong man at the helm on a stormy sea. In the face of the unrelenting rocket attacks on Israel by Arab Islamist-Jihadist terrorists and Olmert's interference in the IDF's response, Olmert is not the right PM for Israel. Israel can do better by appointing the right leader to be PM who will make Israel's enemies tremble and beg for mercy and peace. If these attacks were in America, the savages would have been wiped off within hours. There would be no dreaming about what would the enemies do if the army stamps them out.

To 5 - 'Spare nothing and no one?' In my opinion (from which derives my large frustration with Israeli portrayal in the media) the distinction between Israel and its enemies over the past 60 years has been its consideration for civilians lives among its enemies. I truly believe that, despite accidental civilian deaths, the IDF doesn't target civilians and does attempt to avoid civilian casualties. What has kept the Jewish people alive for thousands of years is the JEWISH SOUL. Scorched earth policy which would target civilians and militants indiscriminately tends to negate that. Even barring a policy of restraint, there are plenty of military operations that can be undertaken that acknowledge the difference between innocents and militants. I understand the inherent difficulty when terrorists launch rocket attacks from civilian areas, and thus I understand the phenomenon of collateral damage. Nonetheless, in a cost benefit analysis, scorched earth policy is bad. Firstly, its a bad strategic policy in terms of reducing support for groups such as Hamas. More importantly, it's bad for the Jewish soul: It is antithetical to priniciples of DEFENSE and a constant thought of peace (see IDF symbol: sword AND olive leaf) as a light in the tunnel of war upon which the IDF - and the state of Israel - are based.