the intl court for human rights and all other intl places ruled so. every country on earth has condemned them, except israel.

Obviously, Chancellor Merkel does not remember who won wars on muslims and who has right to dictate a peace deal. Moreover, if opposite party would not like to discuss peace, the winner has a righ to attack and kill. So, Merkel address your comments to the looser.

"the Gazans after their free and fair elections. The peoples choice is the essence of democracy and you do not get to tell them who to chose." Utter rubbish. Firstly,the Gazans have never had a free and fair election to determine who governs the Gaza Strip.The Gazans only participated in an election, which was far from free and fair,to select the PA.Since seizing power,Hamas has not put its control of the Gaza Strip to the test of popular approval by means of any election whatsoever. Secondly,elections are NOT the essence of democracy.The essence of democracy is that the people's affairs are administered according to their wishes.Hamas rules according to Hamas,Islamic principles.The will of the people is irrelevant to Hamas. There is no democracy in Hamas Gaza.It's a tyrannical dictatorship. I'm shocked at the thought that Matt and I live in the same country.I can only suppose that Matt is rather younger than myself and that he was educated during the period of New Labour when educational standards slipped and trivia was put before real knowledge and understand. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

the germans as other other european countries are scared to death of their own arabs and so they try to pacify them on the backs of israel as usual. The germans are either scandinavian leftists or nazis, no in between though merkel is one of their best. Livni goes on about israel s national interest. What egypt demonstrates is that governments change on a dime. But the constant arab theme is destroy israel.So moussa or el baradei or nour or the brotherhood will abrogate the israel treaty eventually, allow gun smuggling to gaza and pressure israel. In these circumstances, to advocate any israel withdrawal which would mean a palestine state withjewish zdimmis, is shortsighted and foolish and shows why livni is unfit for any leadership role. Israel has to secure the golan, thejordan valley and the gaza border and philadelphi route. All non jewish husbands or wives of jewish israelis should find conversion easy to expand the number of jews/ Aliya from the world should increase with the goal of 2 million immigrants in the next 10 years.

The elections of 2006 were documented free and fair by International Standards. You don't like the results of democracy, too bad Mate. The people have the right to be governed by those they elect. (Unless they are Arabs,in some peoples opinion) Hamas has continually sought to reconcile with Fateh in order that new elections can be held across the entire territory. They refuse to hold elections until the whole of the electorate can be peacefully polled. Three Cheers for Israel? LOL... that makes you a cheerleader for what.. exactly ? When the Egyptians elect a government in free and fair elections Israel will have a very bad day? Why is that? Because they are all Anti-Jewish or because Democratric ISrael requires itself to be surrounded by dictatorships in order to survive. Why is that ? Go back to your Pie and Chips , Ian, I think Man Utd. are playing on the telly.

Eu has no problem with the Turkish occupation of Famagusta, N. Cyprus, Russian occupation of part of Georgia, Tibet, Spanish Melilla ...you just spewing you vile hate.... Listen up buddy: The last meek, submissive Jew was burned in Auschwitz by your people. We shall never forget and we have the tools to take your putrid continent down before we disappear. Every Jew today has gun and knows how to use it. Even pretty girls. So chill off, Paris and London will be Muslim first before Jerusalem.

as faster come their decline.. As we know from Wikileaks, the Palestinians agreed to A L L israeli claims on a palestinian state and israel only blocked and continued settlement. EU & USA just have enough. Lets see as long israel are making it alone in the new arab order..

Of course I a not 100 per cent in agreement with everything Merkel says, but she is head and sholders above anyone (at least any of the big states of the EU) in Europe. She is an honest and brave politician and clearly a friend of Israel, even more than French Pres. Sarkozy. You should never forget this! I hope you are intelligent enough to be able to compare his attitude, approach and, INDEED!, words to the shameless ang gutless crawling of (pseudo-conservative, Islamist-appeasing weekling) British PM David Prisoncamp Cameron before Erdogans's knees in Turkey soon after the flotilla incident heaping abuse on Israel. And the English Catherine Ashton as well - another quasi-enemy of Israel. Give me Angela Kraut Merkel any day and stop the bs, please. P.S.: To Thomas in Dixiland - epurue is probably a muslim living in Europe - she defended honour killings before! Ouch! (Is this Dyxie a hint at Atlanta, Georgia, please tell?)

Our land to all the land west of the Jordan River is in the San Remo Treaty, Mandate for Palestine - Covenant of the League of Nations and the UN Charter. None of those has ever been amended, deleted or changed in any way whatsoever. Now for the simple question. It is so simple that your ignorant courts ignore it as do you, but here it is. Care to name ONE LEGAL claim by the Arabs? Please show us just one, go ahead I dare you. I will go much further and bet you any amount you care to name that you cannot name one. Our 'settlements' are not illegal under any international law or treaty period. It is our land.

I never felt strongly one way or the other about the "settlements" - my view was that Israel would work this issue out on its own. At the same time, it is obvious that Judea and Samaria are the ancestral heart of Israel. Nevertheless, I stayed out of it, so to speak. But now that Her Excellency, the Chancelor of GERMANY has stated that Jews have no right to live in their ancestral homeland - wow!! - now I say Israel should shove it to those Germans and build around the clock. The gaul of this woman (whom I otherwise very much admire!) to come to Israel, a country RE-established partly because HER country's government turned Europe into hell on earth for the Jews, and for her to say they cannot build in their homeland. Can one think of something that would be more chutzpah than this. May the Turks take over Germany and show those Teutonics the truth face of the "Religion of Peace." In the meantime, Judeans - keep on building!!

that jews can settle wherever they like. it says within the borders which had to be defined, what happened some years later. and they did not include the west bank... i dont know, what you mean by "legal claim by the arabs".... but faik, since the partitioning, everyone - arabs and jews - have the right to declare their state. israel did already, palestine wish to do now. are you saying, they dont have the right ?

Maybe Merkel should nominate Wikileaks to be the peace partner because they know best everything. According to them Palis wanted to give Israel more of Jerusalem than Israel was asking and therefore did not want sign any agreement. Olmert offered and Abbas REFUSED to make an agreement. Or maybe Wikileaks was just BS. Nobody knows who fabricated those texts in which Israeli offers to Palis were regarded as Pali offers to Israel which offers Palis have never accepted. But the West believes everything what any Arab says. Example: Jesus was the first Palestinian martyr = official Pali history writing.

that there shoud be no more negotiations until the current wave of regime change in arab countriess is complete. Certainly not until the hashemites of jordan have fallen. No peace treaty will be honoured by the muslim brotherhood and their ilk. Is merkel a dunce or just disingenuous?

It is time Merkel understands that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish Nation since ancient time. Judea and Samaria are Israel's historic homeland-Land of Israel which Israel liberated from the Islamist-Jihadist occupiers in the 20th century, just as Spain liberated its historic homeland from the Islamist-Jihadist occupiers in the 15th century. Jews have a right to live anywhere in the Land of Israel. It is none of the business of external entities to tell Israel where Jews can and can't live in the Land of Israel. It is time Merkel stops being manipulated by the Islamist-Jihadist usurpers. It is time for her to study the Bible, History and Biblical Archaeology instead of intruding in Israel's internal affairs.

Ian is a brilliant and fantastically symphatetic guy with his geenral pro-Israel stance and besides knowledgable, to boot. Hemakes only one mistake when he says that the 2006 elections were not fair. for the most part, it was. International observers attested to this. Although it's also true that campaigning etc. before it cannot be compared to that of a functioning democracy in any Western (or now Eastern-EU) state. Matt's condescending, arrogant and vile rebuttal to Ian is not only pathetic and childish, but frankly embarrassing - to him. The usual mantra of the far-left (mostly in Britain, but also elsewher) that the West does not like the outcome of the "oppressed" and "downtrodden" is pure unadulterated BS, worthy of a cheap slogan. The Palestinians - mostly in Gaza - had the total free right to elect whomever they want/-ed. and, IN TURN, the "West" has the exact same free right to cooperate with the elected government whom it likes to. That f***ing simple. They elected Hamas? OK. But responsible government can opt to sun a genocidal terror group. Clear. Although it would've been fairer if they ha made this situation clear in advance! The fact that they (mainly Bush et al) didn't shows as much their total shock and incredulity at the surpise victory as their shortcomings in advance. Finally, Matt. I say to you this: THREE CHEARS FOR ISRAEL!!!

Especially Germany should have learnt from history - but they didnt, so they support the historical lie of the socalled palestinians and their right for a homeland (they do so out of love for muslim money and fear of muslim terror - like all the others) Because Germany should know better, Germany will pay a high price for again cursing Israel! Payday for Germany is already working for Germany - the Germans complain their nation is in a great misery which worsens constantly.....''He who curses Israel will be cursed!''

Why must Israel always be told to appease those who would destroy the Jewish state ?

Your " pie and chips" drivel is incomprehesible together with your false "facts and analysis". You attack Ian at #33 without just cause lacking any logic and void of any truth. Ian at #33 is factually and logically accurate and informative.

#31.#37.....You guys don't want the truth........ you just want to spread your LIES.

Ian, they can't stand your telling the truth. They are liars and whiners. Three Cheers for you Ian !

...when you say that judea and samaria are the historical homeland of the jews, then you must also say, that "filistine" (tel aviv, haifa, part of WB) is NOT. do you want to swap places (israel for west bank) ? or do you want it all - now... ?

she as socialist will not do with any policy of the right, but since her support is plungering very fast cause her inner policy is not good than she find life guard in form of enlightened the other state, but not much good will happened since this political trick is not working while the everage german got no stedy income.

it is logical since the first in the flotila incident USA was among the first to condamn Israel without checking the facts, USA only provided minor air but in the needy greedy Israel should not count on USA who made Israel more vonerable than ever, what security mesures USA took, the answer is nothing, besides condamn Israel on the building in the setelments USA did nothing what so ever, so it is logic Israel sould trust herself and her suverinity. no USA pupet.

Thank you for expressing your opinions in an intelligent way, which to me means using rational arguments and staying above insulting others!! # 38, I agree, I see more honesty in Merkel thanalmost any other world leader. # 33 Ian, Thanks so much for your well thought opinion. In general, yes, a german has a right to give her opinion on Israel!!! She is not a nazi, not all germans were/are nazis - part of my family was saved from the Holocaust by two young german men, so please no more attacks on one's nationality, or personal attacks, we are adults here!!!!

He didn't help much either. His people are starving. But one wonders, would better conditions have staved a revolution?

Merkel, stop wasting German tax money on people like bouncer-turned-settler Lieberman or the followers of a religious bigot like Yishai. Israel has made its choices and has to live with the consequences. We are always being told about Israel's strengths on these talkboards, so let them fend for themselves and let them pay their own way. No more free submarines. If Israel can only survive when they are being surrounded by dictatorships that are being bribed with Western money, well, too bad for them.

Merkel: Israel missing historic opportunity German chancellor says stalemate in peace talks dangerous, settlement construction must stop. - a Historuc Opportunity . Historical Opportunities, must Stand and be Built from Reality, and not Western Fancy. Orao.Srbia.

Her voice carries about as much weight with Israelis as a bubble in the ocean. These fish have bigger ideas.