happened month and a half ago the lefties were so quiet, but a woman and her 3 children were brned alive the other 3 children in foster care right now, this is the type of behavior lefties protect. such unhuman behavior for personal agenda.

Leftists are hypocritical psychologically impaired pathological mental cases. Well, we all know that's the case. What else is new?

Many years ago, a group of leftists came to Hevron to demonstrate in favor of the Arabs and against the Jewish settlers. The women demonstrators were not modestly dressed. Many wore shorts and revealing blouses. An old Arab man was watching the demonstration, not understanding what exactly was going on. He asked "Why did they bring prostitutes from Tel Aviv to demonstrate here?"!!!! This is a true story!!

A lovely essay, but the language, let alone the concepts, would be too difficult for the people he writes about. Their 'existential emptiness' they pass on as absolute truth, goodness, and beauty means whatever they say it means, as Humpty Dumpty said. And anyway only they have a right to preach, to judge, to determine what Gd or Plato has in mind. Unfortunately every one who doesnt follow them follows the devil. Or even more efficiently, is 'invisible', a non-being, a nothing. Which is how they treat and speak and think of the ordinary citizens who know better than to vote for them after having been lied to about 'peace loving Palestinians' and Syrians and Saudis and every other kefiyah brandishing anti-humanist they can find.

The most ludicrous example is the group "Queers Against Israeli Apartheid" who were initially banned from the gay pride parade in Toronto (Canada). They fought to get in and bring their message that they were against Israel and in favor of the Palestinians. Any gay or lesbian person knows as a fact that there are no gay pride parades in either Ramallah or Gaza City. To do so would be to invite at worst a public lynching by a crazed mob, and at best a mass arrest by Hamas police. Gays and lesbians know that Israel is an island of gay and lesbian freedom (for the most part, we know there is still homophobia and violence towards gays) where their rights are protected by law. However, despite the institutionalized gay bashing by the Palestinians, many gays will proudly ignore this fact totally and go protest against Israel and for "Palestine". Can Palestinian gays and lesbians expect any protection when the new nation of "Palestine" is born? I haven't met a single person or read a single article that would support such a fantasy. Gays and lesbians will continue to be discriminated against by official Palestinian bodies. That doesn't seem to bother lefty gays who like protesting to support the gay bashing "Palestine".

Having spent too many years of my errant youth on the far left of the political spectrum, I came away with the following: According to the left, nobody of color can ever be a racist, an oppressor or a genocidal dictator. In fact, the proof of this belief is the fact that while the left was vociferous in its condemnation (and rightly so) of the South African apartheid regime, they've been uncharacteristically silent in many cases about the murderous regime in Sudan... and why? Because that regime isn't made up of white Europeans...it's made up of Arab Muslims, and for that reason the misery and death that's been inflicted on black Christians and animists doesn't quite rise to the same level of depravity it would have had the oppressors been white. And it's also the reason why the left supports the Palestinians against Israel, regardless of their proclivity for honor killings, suicide bombings and the lynching of homosexuals because the left wrongly perceives all Israelis as being westerners, while the Palestinians belong to that privileged class of "non-white "victims.

If Wohl truly showed concern for women he'd point out the manner in which secular Israeli society also treats women as sexual objects and vectors of consumption. But hey he's only looking to score cheap points any way he can. As for Terry......... without the Left there wouldn't be some things you may have had or will take advantage in your life like: free primary education, affordable health care, humane working hours and conditions, universal sufferrage, state pensions, and I can go on. You're not stupid and you know very well what they are. Like toll free roads. I don't think these are the inventions of "mental cases." Without respecting the other side of the floor there can't be a productive debate from which you can benefit as well. This is the problem with Israel. Everyone is trying to de-legitimize everyone else. It's truly pathetic and immature. It reminds of the "what have the Roman's ever given us" sketch from Monty Python The Life of Brian.

Am no Muslim, but I think taking things out of context and insulting the intelligence of your readers will mean that you will only reach those who already hate too much and know too little.. or maybe the author is amongst them and really believes what he writes?! What honour killing in Sheikh Jarah? Religious Jews, Muslims and even Christians abuse their women all the same... but for them it is not abuse it is taking extra care and granting extra respect. At least this is what is supposedly meant by it! Am sure there are many aspects of all societies that lefties dont agree with but they are fighting a bigger crime that is the creator of all the little shortcomings you mentioned in your article,, that crime is the occupation and the injustice which creates more violence and religious extremism etc..

What a cultural narcissist you are! I have been in many places and met many people. I am a Dutchman, but would not want to impose my freewheeling anarchist social norms. I respect people, whether they are conservative or progressive in outlook. I have lived in the Arab world for many years. Arab society is more conservative than the West. That is a fact. I abor certain practices like 'honour' killings. But what is wrong with covering up in certain situations and showing one's Islamic (or Jewish!) host/counterpart that you respect him or her?

sound like the Gay community asking for trouble, and I won't be surprise if they r going to get trouble. I am not against them but, their fault, I warned them for making political statment when it shouldn't be political issue, but since it's too late everyone knows the gay community and extreme left wingers r the same they might find dificulte now more than ever to find understanding among straight secular community. which none will care if something is going to happened, they r asking for it.

You're being disingenuous & playing with words. As it happens, I make a distinction between the far left, liberals, & right wing, although I'm dis-satisfied with the nomenclature since I feel that these catagories are not very accurate today. I also take into consideration historical context since all political currents have undergone many changes over time. You would perhaps be so kind as to explain to me all the great advantages of Stalin's Russia, Mao's China, Castro's Cuba, the Venezeula of Hugo Chavez, the regime in North Korea, and the other worker's paradises of Eastern Europe prior to the fall of Communism. Today's far left can more accurately be described as Utopian Totalitarians & if you don't think this is a sign of some kind of serious mental disorder, I can't imagine what you consider pathological.

"J'lem: Rescue teams coming to woman's aid stoned by haredim", Ynet News A riot broke out in the Romema neighborhood in Jerusalem when ultra-Orthodox residents attacked a crew of firefighters and police officers who were dispatched to the scene to rescue a woman who got into a quarrel with her husband and was apparently locked in her house. The police, who had difficulty in finding the house on Even Yehoshua Street, alerted the firefighters to break through the door. When the firefighters arrived, they were pelted with stones by the haredi residents. The rescue teams fled the scene. The fate of the woman who called them remained unclear.

and here is also the reason, why all of the leftist idiots have voted for Hussein Obama... A black man MUST be a good president...

delegitimizing the left. i myself in the past was...until i realized that platforms there (as everywhere else) comes before reality (dont confuse me with the facts). when the left stages a protest for womens' / gay/lesbian rights in the west bank (forget gaza) let me know. i'd like to come home, but have no intention of bneing a 1-eyed man in the land of the blind

I got dutch friends and lived in the Netherlands for awhile you r an ex Israeli with issues. you chose country with drunken parliament(literaly) the UK legislators come drunk to the budget cut vote drunk, next time try more relable story.

That they support 'modest dress' for the Arabs, but oppose it when visiting Haradim communities. In fact they decry the 'oppression' from the Haradim whenever possible. I am a secular person but sure do see the hypocrisy in their actions.

Olmert congratulated hanegbi on being acquitted of criminal charges. of course one criminal would congratualte the other. Olmerts hands are filled with corruption, thick and deep and the party he led are a bunch of cowards and wimps and could not tell erdogan to drop dead,w ere afraid of rice and the US and likewise arab terror.As well they had little military savy as they made one concession after another. If olmert is not convicted, israel is finished.

Perhaps you mentally made a distinction but there was none in your sentence: "Leftists are hypocritical psychologically impaired pathological mental cases." Furthermore, North Korea or Stanlist Russia are hardly "left wing"; persecuting minorities, extra-judicial murder, denial of human rights, forced labour and totalitarianism are not Left ideals. By listing these terrible regimes and their lesser cousins you're trying to distort the argument. Why don't I quote the stellar list of "Right", free market states. Franco's Spain, Junta Argentina, Chile, Vichy France, or Arpartheid South Africa? Please explain the advantages of these regimes and their ethnocentric paradises of the elite? Today's Left? What Ha'Ovodah or Meretz are Utopian Totalitarians? Get over yourself. I've also read your other talkbacks. You're nothing but a Birther Tea Bagging Rightist on the fringes of the political spectrum along with the Anarchist Left that thinks violence will bring peace. The truth is the two extremes are one and the same; a mirror reflection. You deserve each other. The only problem is everyone else in the middle has to duck the bullets flying through.

The truth is painful, I did not expect anything else

same what i was thinking

whatever that means. If I must classify myself I guess Jewish Zionist Progressive would be the closest I could come. If I visit a person of whatever culture, Jewish or whatever in there home I would respect their sensibilities. In my home I would expect the same of them. I don't believe in 2 states because we owe them anything. I even believe we have rights to much of the land in the occupied territories. I though believe that for our own good we must relinquish the occupation. Not for them but for us. I would like to see Jews in all of the land of Israel and don't think that Amman or Damascus should be Judenfrei. In any case I have to worry about my own democracy. I would like the whole world to adopt my values but I can't impose them on them. In the State of the Jews I will do my best to bring about high standards. In the Arab Palestinian State it is up to them.

I've been reading Terry's posts and Talkbacks for some time. I think your characterization is unfair. I consider myself a conservative with traditional "liberal" leanings. When I read terms like "right-wing" or far right and "leftist," by objective writers, I take these to be the extreme or the fringe of a political movement or philosophy. Extremists often attach themselves to the trunk of an otherwise healthy political movement like parasites. We must be ever vigilant. In my years of political activism I saw this firsthand. Some of these things you mention, such as humane working hours and conditions, (one you did not mention) opposition to slavery, etc., were championed by what we call "classical liberals." Classical Liberalism "is committed to the ideal of limited government and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets." This is neither the "far right" nor the "far left" as I perceive it.

"The values of humanism and democracy for some leftists or the Torah for some haredim cannot provide purpose, " How can you say that the values in the Torah, "for some haredim"(???) cannot provide purpose? If they cannot, then what do you propose can? And if you are strictly against everything across the board, then what, pray tell, are you FOR? what is YOUR purpose?

... this is partly incitement and hate-mongering ...

I wonder if you ever listened to the song Holiday in Cambodia by the Dead Kennedies.

I'm an atheist, so you sure as hell aren't going to get me to defend any of the extreme behavior of ultra-Orthodox Jews. However, you're being disingenuous when you compare the actions of a fringe minority in a country where these acts are punishable by law to the honor killings that even a supposedly enlightened Arab country like Jordan still hasn't succeeded in getting their government to outlaw.

when you live middle east tradition you know how right this wohl is ameriki, ingliz and izrail lefts abandoned us and our human rights they care only about izrail bashing and are blind to the multible of injustices in our region that will not go away if izrail disabbears without izrail we will be in a bermanent state of war with each other because izrail is a common excuse to unify us now, go back to your nazi beer and leave us alone if you are not willing to helb lift us from our sorry state of affairs

<...as is customary in chauvinistic societies> It could also be argued that these ‘lefty protest organizers’ are *also* showing sensitivity to the ‘Israeli religious rightwing chauvinistic societies’. After all the males in the Haredim and settler societies ensure that their women are ‘covered up, so only their faces and hands are showing. Do I really need to mention the sexual inequality within these Israeli religious rightwing chauvinistic societies? Do I need to remind readers of the violent attacks heaped upon the Israeli women within these chauvinistic societies? Dare I mention Israeli women getting beaten for not sitting at the back of a bus or women getting attacked with acid for wearing ‘immodest’ clothes? Or the Israeli women who are attacked for daring to ‘pray like a man’? Perhaps these ‘lefty protest organizers’ are asking ‘lefty female participants’ to dress appropriately so the ‘Israeli religious rightwing chauvinistic males’ don’t become enraged at the sight of a female bellybutton or a pair of bare legs?

Any human rights activist that supports an undeniable culture of human rights infractions is suicidal and needs to be medicated :^P How can you defend a group that violates more human rights than questionably are being taken away from them? Reality is going hit these lefties the hardest once they realize what they've done. Especially if they become dominated by the very people they think they need to defend. WAKE UP!!!!