#3, No we are deadly serious! We made a promise to ourselves: "Never again!". The state of Israel was created to provide a homeland for all Jews. This became an absolute and immediate necessity because of the 2000 years of prosecution and after the culmination of this during the Holocaust, just 3 years earlier when the massacres of 6 million Jews was not a big deal. So the shame is on the world. We are burned children, don't come for clemency to us if some try to take away the only thing we have left: our small place on earth were we can live in peace. #12 Silly? Childish? Seems you just came back loaded from the "Happy Hour" at the local drinking hole over there at Chester, US. Your TB is totally irrelevant and shows only what you are: a drunken antisemitic. Your TB does not deserve #23 and #24 replies. #26. I salute you that you read Ynet and maybe other Israeli sources. If you care to study the issues at hand open minded then we may have fruitful and important dialogues in the future. If, on the other hand, you are here just to spray venom, then you should follow Hamas in deeds and crawl through the few tunnels still open ASAP.

to Palestine formerly Jordan

If you want an anti-democratic, bigot comforting, warmongering, blinkered, little Israel, settler oriented, Massada destined, view on where we are, then look no further than this deplorable demagoguery. And take note also of the kind of responses it gets from those who claim to represent the best of Israel and the Jewish world.

It would be quite reasonable for people in the South of Israel to be able to lead a normal life. But if at the same time you keep the Gaza Strip under siege, block the entry of humanitarian aid, starve the population, in short if you prevent people in Gaza from leading a normal life, then I think the Gazans have a right to remind you with their missiles of the saying: LIVE AND LET LIVE. You tell us that the Gazans should be grateful for Israel pulling out in 2005. Again, Daum is selective in his memory. Israel reneged on its promise to take all the rubble of the colonies it demolished out of Gaza. But most importantly it started to blockade the Strip and made it physcially impossible for the Palestinians to reap the political and economic benefits from the unilateral Israeli withdrawal. After Hamas fairly won the parliamentary elections, Dov Weisglass back in February 2006remarked: "We will put the Palestinians on a diet." Even though Hamas had given clear signals that it was interested in a dialogue, Israel decided there and then to start a campaign to overthrow the Hamas movement. I remember that every time the situation calmed down and cease-fires appeared to hold Israel would come up with another outrageous assassination of a Hamas leader, leading to an increase of missiles flying into Israel. Israel's overall strategy is clear: it is not interested in a political solution, because in a situation of quiet the focus would be on its illegal landgrab in the Westbank. Israel wants to dump the Gaza Strip in Egypt's lap and impose on the Palestinians a solution under which Israel gets most of the occupied Westbank and East-Jerusalem together with all the countless illegal facts it has created on the ground for more than 40 years (colonies wich have grown into towns) and leaves the Palestinians with a few bits of territory, large enough to function as a holding pen for Palestinians (like the bantustans of Apartheid era South Africa), but far too small to be a viable state and a decent homeland. The living situation for the Palestinians would be kept unpleasant enough to enable Israel to complete its longterm project of ethnically cleansing the indigenous Palestinian population from what once was arab Palestine. So what we are actually witnessing is not the Palestinians destroying Israel, but the colonial settler state Israel carrying out its latest move in its longterm project of cultural genocide (or politicide as Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling used to call it) of the Palestinian people. This is what a growing number of people all over the world begin to understand.

...Berlin, Paris etc. - 99% of the demonstrators. I have seen it with my own eyes. Plus the usual left- and right-wing extremist jew haters. Carsten, Germany

Yes, my ignorant, because these 5 Israelis did not threaten Palestinians, did not call for destroying Palestinians, did not support suicide bombing of innocent Palestinians, while the Palestinians were rejoicing every time an Israeli was killed, because they voted for their barbaric leaders, and they should suffer, like the Germans, who voted for Hitler, did, like Japanese, who suffered from your compatriots.

Hey....Palestine will be back...after 60 years you are still not succeeding to establish stability... As far as greece and France are concerned...the mos;ems number is growing...they will have an influence on the vote one day...We thank Israel to recognize the need for our solidarity As for the usa, remember the 250 coffins shipped back to the usa from beirut....or what about Iraq....:) you are a joke

I see absolutely nothing wrong with a Briton expressing his support for our just cause, and him serving or not serving in the IDF is completely irrelevant. Do you expect all of our supporters abroad to serve in the IDF so they could express their opinion? This is silly. We already have plenty of haters from this country, and we should do our best not to lose or alienate the few supporters we have!

This article is obviously written by an author with the lack of foresight most people suffer from. Remove yourself from your emotions, your anger, and tilt your head back and think. For just a brief moment, think. Don't hide behind literary prowess, tell us what you think, not what you feel. Also, don't ever criticize challengers to your beliefs, embrace it, remove your pride, and think.

you are pathetic - lets see what happens when a grad hits T.A. You think if we made peace with hamas none of this would happen. according to them you also sit in occupied land - in you bars and cafes

there's nothing special about this article. It's basically a talkback. Page space should be reserved for PR now, not this.

And indeed, also on our side "Your views do not really make a difference to us right now." (as ever), Live and let die, as our beloved James Bond did. So, good luck (I feel you will need so much): beware of the time passing... though.

dear sir, dear democratic people dear people who are willing to have a free live...i understand your point view(even i didn t read it all) but i wish you be in arab place to know that the history has spoken many times and showed that every up there s a down and every down there s an up ....i agree with you ever human being has rights...but your right stops when u invades other rights....don t you think history (at least our history) is repeating itself.....till when arab and israely children will die...d u think u can kill the grieve in people by killing their future and their past....the history is repeating itself and no one can do anything about it

ב''ה I wish to congratulate Mr Hanoch Daum. He is of course correct that it is the democratic right of everybody to protest (though I would add peacefully and in a dignified manner, rather than the rabble rousing which is currently being carried out outside of many Israeli Embassies). However, and, more importantly, I feel that he is correct in his statement that the views of the so called peace protesters are irrevelant. What is relevant is the right of the people of Israel to live without the fear of falling victim to terrorist attack, day in and day out. Many Israelis suffered greatly in order to give the Palestinians control of Gaza. What do Israelis get in return, the need to live in fear for their lives daily. Where are the peace protestors, demanding fair play for Israeli civillians, not to be seen or heard. No indeed, thery are irrelevant, the lives of the Israeli people are what is relevant. Well done Israel, may G-d bless your actions in defending your people.

What a typically arrogent article. No.... you don't care what others think unless they are agreeing with you. Meanwhile scores of innocent Palestinian men women and children die...by Isaeli weapons of war... just so you can sit comfortably out the front of Starbucks and sip your latte. Israel should be ashamed. A people borne out of persecution & suffering, now inflicts the same upon a weaker people. Hypocrites all.

It must be so terribly galling for Israel's detractors that so many people simply do not believe them. The reasons can be many but in a line - quite simply, their conclusions are wrong.

First, get your numbers right--Paliestinian rockets and mortars (0ver 8000) have killed way more than "4 or 5 Israelis" -- and many of them were children who couldn't get to the bomb shelters in time. Second, shut up--this chutzpah from an Englishwoman, the nation that occupied N. Ireland, shut down civil institutions, built 'apartheid walls;' to contain its Catholic population, engaged in state-sponsored terror, torture and the total suspension of civil liberties for Catholics...all because a few bombs went off in Belfast and London. Shut UP you hypocrite.

What about the rockets? What about how hamas treats their own people? Why is it that Jews are not allowed to defend themselves?

when the ussr killed 2 million of my people the world stood silent and didnt care.when the taliban came and murdered many Hazara the world didnt care either.I notice when palis kill jews the world also doesnt care.But when 1 pali is killed the world cries like a old woman.my dear jewish brothers and sisters yes i am muslim and i have a slight sympathy for some of the palis though very few but do not make the mistake to think that i support them in there un islamic ways. Israelis fight the good fight protect your women and children and win total victory- Khoda Hafiz

So it has become clear that it is impossible to clear out of anywhere else in Israel for Palestinians, the jihadists will only infiltrate the new place they occupy. No more land concessions

Let's for a moment forgetr all about claims of who owned the land five thousand years ago. In the first decades of the twentieth century we bought that land from its internationally recognized owners at the time (the British), for a lot of money. We then signed an agreement with the Arabs who lived there (it's called the fisal-weitzman agreement, go look it up) and then bent over backwards to accomodate them when they reneged on that aggreement just so we can have a state. But having established that state we have a right to sit and drink lattes, among other things, IN PEACE, and anyone who violates that right (as the arabs have been doing for SIXTY YEARS, should pay for it with their land and, if need be, with their lives, until they stop. Please tell me where you see a flaw in that argument.

You say :” You (i.e. Israel) didn't withdraw from the rest of the Palestinian lands (i.e. Judea & Samaria, nowadays known as the West Bank) ..”. Andrew, Moses the Law Giver led the Jewish People out of Egypt in 1260 B.Chr. After wandering for 40 years in the Sinai Desert they entered Israel, which includes Judea & Samaria, nowadays known as the West Bank, given to them by YAHWEH, the Supreme Lord -- as conveyed to the greater world by Moses the Law Giver. The Jewish People entered the Land of Israel in 1220 B.Chr. as per order of YAHWEH, the Supreme Lord. Andrew, the Land of Israel, which includes Judea & Samaria, GIVEN to them by YAHWEH, the Supreme Lord, BELONGS to the Jewish People -- FOREVER. Andrew, saying that Judea & Samaria is Palestinian (Arab) land -- means the Arabs have STOLEN Judea & Samaria from the Jewish People. AS such, the Arabs are THIEVES. By sympathising with the Arab THIEVES -- you ARE part of the gang of THIEVES. THAT being the case, what is the value of your words, what is the value of the words of THIEVES ? NO value whatsoever !!!

it is kind of weird, previously, the openion section would have like 30%-40% mainstream articles and 60%-70% left wing artciles. Now it's 100% mainstream! I am not saying it's good or bad, just wondering..

you have one central thing in common with HAMAS: you are both so much into FAIRY TALES! the problem is that yours star Moses, and theirs Mohammed, which creates conflicts. Why don't you guys agree on some other story book, like Snow White or Humpty Dumpty?

It's a relief to read your dismissal of anti-Jewish opinion.

Zionists started coming to Israel in the late 19th century. They bought the land not off the British but off the Palestinian landowners. Note the word bought. They didn't displace Palestinians and in fact the number of arabs boomed during this time. Faisal represented a clan who were technically in charge of Mecca but actually were brought up in Istanbul. He and his father made up a load of mendacious claims to the British and failed to deliver on a single one and the arabs made an insignificant contribution to the allies but fought in great numbers against them in the Ottoman armies. Despite having lied about their influence and having done next to nothing they still demanded most of the ME as a reward - and they got two large swathes of it, ie Iraq and Jordan. They didn't represent the Palestinians or Jordanians or Iraqis. As such - and as was usual with this clan - Faisal promised something that wasn't his to promise and failed to keep that promise. The British were given a mandate to prepare the land for a jewish home. They were explicitly told not to prejudice the borders but gave 70% of it to their puppet Abdullah in Jordan and then gave away the Golan to the French. The Palestinians were promised a state in1936 that would have had an Israel not much bigger than Gaza. They rose up and lost. They were offered a state in 1947. They rose up and lost. They were offered a state in 2000. They rose up and lost. Seeing a pattern here? To the Palestinians, you have a choice. You can live in peace or you can resist and regularly get the sh*t kicked out of you. Your choice. Just stop whining when Israel hits you back.

Without Moses the Law Giver there would be NO western civilisation. And that is NOT a fairy tale.

You say :” the history is repeating itself and no one can do anything about it “. Dear Muslim, you are right when you say history repeats itself. IN the sense that : you speak friendly words -- I will speak friendly words with you ; you hit me on my head repeatedly -- I will hit you on your head repeatedly ; you fire rockets at me -- I will fire rockets at you. IN this way history is predictable. With the last part of your above quote I disagree. IF you don’t want to be hit on your head repeatedly -- don’t hit my head repeatedly. IF you don’t want to be on the receiving end -- don’t fire rockets at me. SO, things can be done to deflect tragedy.

YOU don't care for WORLD as far as YOU are winners of this moment. When HAMAS kick YOUR asses, YOU start wailing in front of the WORLD. This is very known about YOU!