Why does the right in Israel keep voting for parties of retreat and surrender, such as Likud, Yisrael, Beiteinu, Shas, etc.? All these parties advocate surrender of precious Jewish land. National Union earned what? Two or three seats in the Knesset in the last elections! What is wrong with my fellow Jews? Tell me. Why do they vote for defeat each and every election, hoping for another outcome? We knew Ariel Sharon -- when he ran for re-election in 2003 -- would forcibly expel Jews. Sharon said, "We will have to make painful concessions." Sharon said, "A Palestinian state is inevitable." Nevertheless the right voted for Sharon. We knew when Netanyahu ran in 2008, he would advocate the surrender of precious Jewish land. You had to be living in a cave not to know what this man would do if he became prime minister again. "Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu and three quarters of the Likud's candidates declined to sign a loyalty oath ruling out a Palestinian state that was distributed to all the parties on the Right (early 2009). The oath, distributed by the Matot Arim organization, included a vow not to lend a hand to the formation of a Palestinian state...." Then Netanyahu robbed Feiglin of the #20 slot he earned in the Likud primaries. He then courted Kadima for a coalition partner; the same Kadima that was responsible for the mass-expulsion of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria, August 2005. Nonetheless the right vote for Likud / Netanyahu. Why? Please provide a rational answer if you can. Why do hundreds of thousand of nationalists / religious Zionists, etc., vote for these failed parties?

I always enjoyed your perspectives in Talkback and this one is no exception because I too agree with you and know exactly where you are coming from. However, by concedeing a freeze for even 1 day makes that area of land that belongs to Israel not belong to Israel anymore. Obama and the rest of the sonei Yisrael may as well have requested a freeze on Tel Aviv for votes at the UN and for more jet air crafts. What kind of nonsense is this?

If Netanyahu agrees to allow anyone other than the IDF to "guarantee" the borders, he will be repeating what happened to Czecheslovakia before WW II. Appeasment never brings Security or Peace, nor does withdrawal from liberated territory bring a True Peace as we have seen in Sinai and with Gaza.

The major war between Iran and Israel that will determine the fate of the middle east and the world will be fought before 2016-2017 so there is no need to concede our rights to the Judea and Samaria for technological advantage! Who can threaten Israel in the Middle East besides Iran? So if Iran is taken out before 2016-2017 that means there will be no one left in the Middle East to threaten Israel. As far as, Judea and Samaria and creating the second Palestinian State it will not be over they will never accept the JEWISH state of Israel!

I am sick of hearing likud members crying about what their leader does over and over again but it does mean anything, they are protecting their image and their future votes. lets see them remove bibi from office by voting him out that would be a sign of truth from them

You all talking like you have the land of Palestine. You have to read the history very well and carefully and see how israel established, your prev leaders and parents have stolen the land and killed its people , destroyed their houses and created israel. In other words by terrorism and you are calling Palestinians terrorist. you have to feel shamed not proud. By the jewish terrorism isreal has established, if you were treated badely in Europe ( nothing to do with Palestinians ) you should learn a lesson and treat people in a different way, get rid of your inherited psychological problems and think logicaly , this is the most racist country in the world ( israel)

Seriously? Why would you read an israeli paper if you dont even know these simple basics of the conflict? this isnt wikipedia... However, this freeze would be limited to settlements in the occupied west-bank.

What! Neville Chamberlain is back??! "Boogie" Ya'alon is right: this is a trap to ensnare Israel into an untenable position. Appeasement begets history. And the incumbent of the Oval Office is NOT Israel's friend. PM Netanyahu: Wake up from your torpor. Get a large cup of extra strong coffee

It is inconceivable that Israel should accept this proposal when it is clear that all the PA wants is to continue the conflict at all cost. The settlements are not the problem, because if they were, what did Abbas do in the 10 months where there was a total freeze? Simply put, the PA is not able to make a deal because 1) they do not want or 2) they do not know what to do. Israel should hold until Obama departs the scene. Am Israel Chai!

Getting a clear picture from either side is not easy but road block, walls and Jewish only roads were once needed to control terrorist, they also can make going even a few miles an all day effort, with walking a few miles far quicker. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Westbankjan06.jpg also here is a 2002 map http://www.firstpr.com.au/nations/ One of the bigger problems is that the settlements are build were the water is, like many new towns but in a semi desert areas its doubly important. Also in C areas and E. Jerusalem very few non-Jewish building permits are allows

It is a bit pathetic that the President of the United States of America keeps demanding of Jews, only because they are Jewish, to refrain from moving into an constructing their homes in certain villages, towns and even city neighborhoods for no other reason but the fact that they are Jewish. But the very same President can't bring himself to demand of a non-state entity - Palestinian Authority - to make the simple declarative step of accepting Israel - a UN member state - right to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people, based on a whole legal grounds. No, it is not only pathetic, it calls to question what is the actual motive of this President of the United States of America...!!

The settlements, which I prefer to call villages in the heart of Shomrun and Judea, are in the "disputed territories". We wiil have conceded nothing other than an agreement not to build further for another three months. If we are too rigid, too obstinate, in other words, too unbending, then eventually we ourselves will be broken. Bibi, a master strategist, is now accomplishing on behalf of Israel exactly what is needed. In three months, the American government, soon to be overwhelmingly fertilized by allies to Israel and democratic western pride, will loyally support us again and Obama will become a blip on the political thoroughfare. Already, not only have the Americans begun to turn away from politically correct faux liberalism but so have many western European democracies including, but not limited to, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France and Germany. Over time, all western European nations (with the pitiful exception of the UK which has lost all self-respect and dignity) will turn against its internal Muslim population, its porous immigration laws, its faulty "liberalism" which serves to weaken national resolve, and their ridiculous forms of multiculturalism which abrogate national and cultural identities. Time is on our side. Bibi knows this and is allowing this factor to play itself out. In the meantime, he has put up a sign: "Jerusalem is not a disputed territory. It is not on the agenda. It is, and will remain, ours." In my estimation, our greatest enemies are the vicious liberals from within, the uncommitted, the internal anti-Zionists and the outright Israeli demonizers. They sap our energy and our resolve. Please be aware, although I respect and admire Bibi, I was and am a member of Yisrael Beiteinu. Thank you, "Israeli", for your gracious response to my post.

Please note, the President demands of Jews to refrain from normal life and cease construction of their homes in territories that are in DISPUTE, one that will be resolved through direct talks by the parties. Yet, the President has not asked even once of the members of the other party of the DISPUTE to refrain form constructing their homes in the very same territories...!! I wonder, why...??

It doesn't matter what Bibi will give them, he can offer them the entire West Bank, Gaza, and all the candy they could munch on for the rest of their lives and they still wouldn't take it. To the Arab Israel is Palestine and for Palestine to be free there must be no Israel, it's that simple. I do agree with the Arabs on one thing though, their right of return - they all have the right to return to their Arab countries and get the hell out of Israel.

then, we are going to get civil war.

Whether you like it or not, whether your bouncer role-model from Moldova likes it or not, East Jerusalem (old city) will be the capital of Palestine. If you're lucky, the wailing wall can be annexed to Israel, but that's about it. Mount of Olives, old city, Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, Issawiyeh, and others, will be part of the emerging state of Palestine. Your will is irrelevant. What counts is international law.

maps wich are not current (the 2002 map was even cited by its author as already being old but insisted it was not outdated), there are simple but crucial errors in your post. In the Gush Etzion area, all villages, both Arab and Israeli, are built on hilltops. Water remains a problem but not more so for Arabs than Jews. On the other hand, Jews are extraordinary at water utilization and conservation. Blaming us for our technical proficincies is unreasonable. I would suggest laying responsibility at the doorsteps of the Arab populations and governmental administrations which always prefer to blame their deficiencies on us (Israeli Jews) as opposed to really doing something for their own people. As an example, if you travel in the Golan Heights to the border of Syria, you will view a Syrian (Druse) village down below with a lake in front of it. The lake, however, is manmade and is not utilized by the populace of the village. It exists for one purpose only: to create an obstacle by flooding to prevent Israeli tanks from entering Syria. The Golan, on the other hand, is (relatively speaking)sparsely populated but contains farming communities, agricultural fields and an artistic centre. If I were a young man, I would move there and establish a family life. Jews shouldn't be blamed because we are socially minded and establish governments which take responsibility for bettering the lives of its citizens. We needn't go down to their level, Bloodyscot; rather, they need to come up to ours. That's why neighbouring regimes resent us; we are a (flawed) democracy but Arab states don't even pretend to be that.

It is I who thank YOU for YOUR gracious response. You are graced with diplomatic savvy and your thought process leans towards wisdom. I am glad that you are part of Yisrael Beiteinu. Lieberman may yet be our next PM.

I pray all the plagues that befalled the USA during the Gaza pullout and later on Arial Sharon will not fall on Benjamin Natanyahu and USA over Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. The signs are on the sky. Arial Sharon is still in a comma.

The Free World no longer has a leader. The anti-Israel, anti-America, anti-Free World U.S. administration now exists to serve all of the purposes and goals of Islam.

#37; Anybody who has read my repeated posts knows I'm more than familiar with the Israeli/Arab conflict. My question was simple, where is the current building that I read about going on? I suspect most of it is in areas that will be part of Israel in any final agreement, if that is so, I don't think it is a big deal. But I consider the West Bank to be disputed territory not occupied. After all even UN Resolution 242 planned for Israel to keep some of the land for security reasons. This is undisputed fact. The question always was how much land and where the land would be. Never was there a question that Israel would keep some land. #40; All things you spoke of road blocks, walls etc. would not have been .necessary if the Arabs were not killing Jewish civilians. So their condition is self inflicted, unless you believe that Israel doesn't have a right to self defense. In fact the Israeli response has been measured considering the repeated attacks they have suffered. Never have I seen a country go so far out of its way to watch out for collateral damage.