Don’t worry; our government is just as uninterested in peace as all the hawks/fascists of the right wing. We talk about peace while at the same time doing everything possible to prevent it from becoming reality. If in the coming months/years we’ll be dealing with another intifada again, we’ll have nobody to blame but ourselves. If I were the US president, I would have made US support for IL conditional on serious steps towards peace, and otherwise cancel it altogether. We don’t deserve a dollar of it. Time and time again it shows that we (especially the rightist among us) don’t want peace, only land. Anybody who still believes something else is living in an illusion. We want it all and because of that in the end we’ll end up with nothing instead! All that we hear from the Right is what NOT do to, but any potential alternatives, progress or (God forbid) solutions we shouldn’t expect from them. Before accusing the Palestinians of unwillingness to reach a fair solution, maybe we should look at ourselves first. We are our own worst enemy.

One of the greatest obstacles to peace, which has not received sufficient attention in the world press, is the Palestinian program of institutionalized, government-supported incitement whose purpose is to dehumanize Jews and make the hatred of Jews and the desire to kill them a virtue. We have already seen this in Palestinian TV programming for children: Farfur Mouse and Nahoul Bee. Questionable actions on either side can be discontinued and changed, but when a child’s mind is poisoned practically since the day it is born, changing that is next to impossible as explained at : http://xrl.us/bjonm

Olmert will bring mortars, rockets, death and destruction throughout Israel if he has his way.

Of course there are no peace negotiatons going on. Who is Israel supposed to negotiate with? Hamas? The powerles PA that is likely to join Hamas at the drop of a hat? Where would you put this new State? Gaza? Where in the West Bank? Mike

It's amazing where this person meet "loudmouth rightists"??? In Israel? The tragedy of Israel is absence of clear right vision. I curious whom Israel suppose to have peace with? There is no big difference between terrorist organizations and arab people choose them, not peace in free election. I agree that USA and other sponsors must finish this process, as useless and find decision for reunion Arab refuges with their brothers in 22 Arab countries.

Some say that we are our own worst enemy. It's true. But it's a problem that can be solved if we would just stop thinking in the paradigm of positions i.e. borders, written agreements, settlements, etc., and start thinking in terms of interests i.e. security and prosperity. When looked at this way, we realize that even if we achieve our positions, our interests still may not be met. We need to take the focus off ideological and political goals and start focusing on our common denominator, the desire to live in a safe, peaceful region.

Or are you just a blind ignorant fool? The Left have done enough damage to Israel, this selfish reign is at an end. You know very well there are no Palastinian people and what is here are Egyptians, Syrians etc, that are just used as a proxy to destroy Israel with. They dont want peace and the foolish left in Israel has offered them every chance yet they spit in your face!.

Do what it takes, anything!!! but get rid of the cancer called Olmert! We are dumping Bush/Condi Idiot's in a few months

I agree with Lieberman and others. Any agreement with our enemies by Ehud the traitor should not be recognized by the next government. Olmert should be arrested, tried and hanged by the neck from the gallows; he and Livni, Barack, Peres, Ramon, Yishai, Yosef, and the rest of these traitors.

You say :".. we don't want peace, only land ". Amazing statement from a citizen of Israel !! DkS, you don't really care for the Land of Israel, isn't it. You don't mind moving into the Sea (i.e. the Mediterranean Sea) -- as long as you can live in peace. I would say, DkS, you should move over into the Sea -- and have a peaceful life in the Sea. What the radical islamists wanted, namely to drive all Jews into the Sea -- you are giving it to them, i.e. the radical islamists, on a GOLDEN plate. BTW DkS, don't stay in Israel and spew your venom at Israel. Best would be - IF you don't like to move into the Sea - to move over to Jordan. You guys will be very happy living in Jordan. You say :"We are our own worst enemy ". With people like you -- who needs enemies.

Any deal Olmert makes on Jerusalem will be the absolute minimum demanded by the arabs to stop the next round of violence. Israel will be doubly screwed if Obama is the next US president. He will be even worse than Bush/Rice for forcing the only reasonable people at the table (guess which side that is...) to make concessions to keep "The Process" moving.

You have some nerve to criticise me for "not caring about the Land of Israel." I made aliya from exactly that country where you are sitting now writing your nonsense. Yes, I am Dutch. And while you sit there safely in Maansingh, I am here in IL trying to contribute something to this country because I care about it. And if I feel like criticizing some of my fellow Israeli citizens for being obsessed with land and caring about it more than peace, then I do that out of knowledge and by first-hand account. It's people like you who don't know the slightest bit of what is going on in IL and the territories but do have an opinion about everything, that are our worst enemies. Like the Dutch saying goes: look a little further than the length of your nose. Thank you.

Thanks for your clarification.

Under the 1948 lines, our Arab neighbors weren't prepared to live in peace with us. There is no fundamental change in any Arab charter that suggests that returning to that vulnerable position will create a new lasting peace accord. History has proven that only when we are strong & united has genuine peace built on true respect, been acheived. Hence, there is an answer from this 'rightist' which is to first gain a position of strength and then allow a controlled degree of self-determination & self-respect to non Jewish citizens prepared to abide in peace under our Jewish state. Incidentally, I agree with your comments regarding criticism from Jews not living in Israel. We have to make this work together and that means Jews being together in our national homeland...Shalom!

#16: you're welcome. #17: i do agree with you that peace should be achieved from a position of unity and strength, not weakness. We probably simply disagree about what that peace should look like and how far we should go for that.

#16: you're welcome. #17: i do agree with you that peace should be achieved from a position of unity and strength, not weakness. We probably simply disagree about what that peace should look like and how far we should go for that.

it does not mean dying days of nation or people . so to save people do not depend on some curropt leaders if they are israili or pa .we need better leaders asking the people benifits not themselves or their chairs

18 and 19 is strong and need peace .iam not strong or weak but i need peace also . but if peace is only to strong so i need to be strong first . do you think i can not be in the same power of you .who can guiss about the other 50 years . and if you would be weak you will stop asking for peace . sorry i can not understand your need to be strong or need the peace or both or want me to be weak or killed or what .....

I fully intend to immigrate to Israel. You speak of your fellow Israeli citizens whom you claim are obsessed with land and caring about it more than peace. I care about both land and peace. What gives you the right to give our land away? To our enemies. You are with our enemies just like Bush is with our enemies and Olmert, Livni and Barak are with our enemies. You are no better than Ehud Olmert and the rest of our enemies. I am sick reading this from you. You can't be a proud Jew, can you? It is so disheartening reading this treasonous drivel from you. Be a man. Or be a woman whatever you are. You are pathetic. You weaken the resolve of our fellow Jews to fight this vicous enemy. How dare you.

How do you explain and justify this? These are the people you expect us to have peace with? I noticed you ignored to answer my question.......i know you dont have an answer! Fatah and Hamass both follow the same Charter that calls for Israels destruction but you ignore this important fact! I feel sorry that you are ignorant to the facts!

To #22: Please stay where you are. Don't come to IL. We don't need any more narrow-minded Americans here who can only think in terms of 'vicious enemy' and eternal war. We've got enough of those lunatics already. Be a good American Zionist and keep writing personal attacks in talkbacks and getting sick behind your PC, it'll be better for everybody. I am a very proud Jew and very proud Israeli. It is possible to be one without being ultra right-wing or a warmonger, you know. Give it a thought. And I already did my share of fighting, trust me, which is more than you can say. Try it, maybe it will actually open your eyes, like it has with me. To #23: I am totally not interested in the PA-charter. They can write there on every page they want to throw us into the sea, I don't give a damn. I am interested in ending our rule over the Palestinians and make sure that Israel will continue to last as a Jewish AND Democratic state. If real peace is indeed an illusion, at least I want Israel to be in a position where nobody will be able to blame us anymore for hitting back if the Arabs continue to attack us from their independent state.

Sir, a draft is a draft not more. However, the reaction of Mr. Lieberman MK (Our Hause Israel) and Mr. Sa'ar MK (Likud) simply indicate that those two parties are against any peace agreement with the Pals. Syria and Lebanon, since these two don't know the contents of the draft, as the rest of the 120 MKs.

You say :"I .. did my share of fighting, ..". Dear DkS, when the Government of the State of Israel orders the IDF Soldier to protect the State of Israel, the IDF Soldier should know that when enemy combatants are injured or even killed -- the IDF Soldier will incur NO bad reaction, once again, NO bad reaction whatsoever for his/her violent behaviour. WHY the IDF Soldier will incur NO bad reaction ? Because he/she went to war ON THE ORDER of the Government of the State of Israel. SO, all reactions (good as well as bad) goes to the Government of the State of Israel. BTW protection involves the use of violence. HOW can you protect without using violence. BTW only the Government of the State has the MONOPOLY on violence -- and NO one else !! CONCLUSION : The IDF Soldier should NOT think that he/she is injuring or killing the combatant enemy on his/her own behalf. THAT'S why there is NO reason whatsoever for the IDF soldier to cry for the violence committed, or to feel bad, or to become morose. You say :".. it .. actually (opened my) .. eyes ". FOR the IDF Soldier to think that violence is bad (while on DUTY) -- that means he/she has NOT understood why a country, any country, has a Police Force and an Army Force. TO practice non-violence while on DUTY is a form of stupidity. And this kind of stupidity will ALWAYS harm the State !! BTW in the past thousands of years countries had a Police Force and an Army Force ; at the present all countries have a Police Force and an Army Force ; and in the COMING tens of thousands of years countries will be having a Police Force and an Army Force. DkS, I think you want to live in a dream world -- a world WITHOUT Police Force and Army Force. Such a world is NOT possible on planet Earth. IT was NOT possible in the past thousands of years , neither at the present moment , NOR will it be possible in the coming tens of thousands of years. WHY NOT ? Because there will ALWAYS be rascals, goons, criminals walking around on planet Earth -- and they have to be confronted, they have to be tackled !!!