Very smart and clear Op.Ed. I hope that the Egyptian intellectuals won´t be biased by the hatred to the Jews, and that the people of Egypt will build a true Democracy, without a strong infuence of the Radical Islam, Hashem willing. AM ISRAEL CHAI

Intellectuals are human beings, and, as such, are capable of being irrational. The issues often transcend rationality when they become emotional

humans are the most dangerous animal of the land,people kill for fun,the human experience with death in animals,humans have fun with animal suffering,human celebrates its brutality,rational human being to kill for the power ,human bother human,human laugh at other human calamity,humans contaminates his own land which brings illness and then human asks himself who is guilty?WHO´S A N ANIMAL?

You're laying bare your Israeli soul, the wishes that the Arab side would be rational, open, and constructive, and would listen to you. There's no "Egyptian intellectual" who will read this or could give two hoots about it.

It was Israel who stunted Egypt with American money.... It's been Israel's aim to make sure no Arab neighbors prospered..And the 60+ history of the area has proven it... Hashem willing, Israel will get what it's always deserved... TATA

This article prompted me to the following thought. We keep being told on newscasts that this revolution is due to youth and intellectuals connected by social media, not to the Muslim Brotherhood or radical Islamists. And we're told that there is great resentment against the West, particularly America and Israel, for helping prop up the tyrant Mubarak. But aren't the intellectuals leading the Egyptian revolution partly the product of the West? It was western culture that produced Rousseau and his On the Social Contract and many other "great works" to which Yair alluded in his article. If this revolution fails to bring the democracy and utopia the young Egyptian intellectuals desire so much, and if life gets worse for most Egyptians under the next ruler, the rest of Egyptian society may point the finger of blame at these youth. If it has been perceived by most Egyptians that the youth brought all this about due to their Western-influenced thinking (Rousseau) and social networking (Facebook, Twitter), then won't the resulting counter-revolution have stronger anti-Western overtones than the current revolution? I would suggest it's in everyone's interest to voice support for the Egyptian people, and offer them assistance if they ask for it. Stop whining about "Ooh, what if the Muslim Brotherhood comes to power???" and "What about the 1979 peace treaty???". Your whining will only make the situation bad. If we outsiders leave them alone and only help when asked, this situation may actually turn out good for everyone - Egyptians especially, but also non-Egyptians. Trying to pull strings using our inside connections or whatever will be resented and will only make things worse for everyone.

But the Arab states, Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia, Morrocco etc can not blame Israel for their domestic problems. It's on them.

On one hand, they're a 5000 year old people - the Egyptians. On the other, they are our cousins, sons of Abraham. You can't be both. Just sayin'.

When I read the letter of my israyeli friend, Yair, I ask myself whether he is addressing the right people. I think this letter should be addressed to each israyeli who is living in the land that he has stolen through robbery, murder and rape. You have fears because you know you are criminals. This is the real problem. This letter proves what you are: a bunch of chutzpah and hasbara idiots.

in your jogging suit on the sofa... about your questions: with the invention of "geometry, astronomy and paper", its one thing: you dont have to walk far and especially not fast. winning a war is another - and it looks pitch black for that one... its not "woman-haters, democracy-haters, and Jew haters". they hate everyone, including themselves. if they could win a war, they would attack jordan, or the north pole (too). thats all just needed to lift up their non-existent self-esteem a bit. so, dont take things personally, yair... after all, maybe there is one thing to fear: that they, when the hangover sets in, turn onto each other... their society is very much on the bottom of social behaviour...

what makes him think we dont already have theur answer-as in israel 'intellectuals' are not so smart or they would not be leftists and israel would have many more friends...truth is even jewish intellectuals are unfaairly critical of israel--it's so chic to be 'smart'!

old habits die hard in his neighborhood. The Egyptians have traded one despot for another. If they think their lives will be much improved under military rule, they are sadly mistaken. Free and fair elections? Doubtful. Especially with the Moslem Brotherhood lurking in the wings and Iranian interference a given. Experience and history do not support any kind of fundamental change. No matter what comes of this revolution, there will never be introspection in Arab society. Israel and the Jews will always be blamed for Arab failures. It's easier that way. Denial frees them from responsibility for their actions and shifts the blame for their failures to the Others.

... and without a strong influence of the radical neo-liberals bancrupt economy

israel is the source of all our problems each problem the poverty, the corruption, the unemployement ,the social unjustice , the lack of public services everything and of course the main problem of our national and internal security is israel if a water pipe explodes in the streets its israel fault any terror attack its the mossad involvement israel , us , eu , iran ,hamas , hizbullah ,ttt , mnm , tektek all the world is hating us and undermining our country why why ??? because we are strong we ve advanced country in all fields number 1 in the world so the world countries especially israel are feeling jealious and want to destroy us shame on israel shame on israel signature : the egyptian people

They will choose the brave, difficult solution that will require them to face their own people and tell them: "It depends on us alone." Great article Yair, reflects what most of us israelis think about the current situation in Egypt.

What indeed does define the 'intellectual'? An ever more vague, loose term with each passing year. As prey to error, foolishness, and emotionalism as the average man of the street it seems. Perhaps we give that label more weight & merit than it ever honestly deserved.

The Egtptians would probably agree that all of their problems do not have, at their core, the Israeli presence. Yet, it is disingenous to absolve Israel of all blame for the Egyptian dictatorship which has oppresed the Egytpians for the past thirty years. Israel and the US have continuually prized, and the US taxpayers have paid for, the stability of autocrats over any reform which could upset Israeli predominance in the region. The Israeli view is that there is no problem if those 'Arabs' suffer, so long as Israel can do whatever it wants: Build settlements, demolish houses, humiliate and oppress Palestinians, threaten their neighbors in both Syria and Lebanon, etc. Now, Israel is frightened for there may be a political price to pay for their actions. My advice to Lapid would be: Look into Israeli policies and examine whether they are policies aimed at bettering the lives of all within the region. If they are not, then esouse those which would help, not hurt. Otherwise your pretense of patronizingly 'asking' the Egyptian intellectuals is only so much hot air.

Our problems are due to the 3 dictators that govers Egypt, since 1952. Before that we had a king and we had democracy. After that we had corrupted army generals. Starting with Nasser, then Sadat then Mubarak. Egyptians are fatalists and that did not help in tha last 60 years. Isreal is simply protected itself by dealing with such dictators. ( the dictator we know is better than any one we dont know- Isreal thought)

You are the one that has the sense of reality severely distorted - Let´s see : 1) With the signing of the Peace Traeaty, Israel gave back to Egypt the whole Sinai Peninsula, with its oil and natural gas wells, and with all the Touristic Resorts that Israel has built there. Israel also had offered to give back Gaza, but the egyptians refuse to take it back. 2) After the state of war disappears between Egypt and Israel, the influx of tourism increases dramatically to Egypt, giving a lot of money every year. (As a matter of fact a lot of jewish people went to Egypt as tourists too) It is NOT to blame Israel if the corrupt egyptian leaders grab that money to their Bank accounts in Swiss. 3) The most important fact, the Treaty prevents WAR, saving the life of a lot of HUMAN BEINGS in both countries. OH. I'm sorry, I forget that your venomous Anti-Jewish blindness prevents your brain to think correctly. Viva the PEACE between the people Viva ARGENTINA Viva Democratic EGYPT Viva ISRAEL TATA - TATA - TATA - TATA

People are in denial when they want to refuse to accept the truth ,when their emotion overides their intellect Such an individual cannot be called an intellectual a characteristic of an intellectual is when he can accept an unpalatable truth. i think it is a waste of time to reason with an unreasonable person

Yair Lapid, you are nice but naive trying to talk to those people. People whom you call "intellectuals" cannot be called that name, exactly for the reason that they lead the scaremongering campaign against Israel. True intellectuals can be easily recognized and distinguished from others: they offer LOGICAL SOLUTIONS of problems, instead of blaming others for their own failures.

HEY: YOU you forgot to mention the SHARKS that the Mossad sent to kill of tourism to Sinai!

A good article...Not outreaching...Wished it sounded a little sincere... Wished it sounded a letter from Isacc to his brother Ismael .... Wished it offerd hope and glory of democracy... Wished it offerd lending hands of Israeli Democracty gains through out the years... Wished it offered a sincere think tank of Israili/Plastenian problems.... Well, may be one day I can see these wishes come true and hope that writer's answers to his questions become nothing but comments....

It's a brave and outspoken address to the dignity and honour that so many Egyptians have spoken about in the last 18 days. And it's poignantly poised - between challenging the Egyptians to recognise that they were ultimately responsible for their own tyranny, just as the Iraqis were for theirs, the Tunisians for theirs and the Libyans, Syrians Algerians and Saudis are still for theirs - and how we as Israelis have to take responsibility for the actions of those we elect, and those we murder.

The Egyptians are good people but not idiots , play another one!

stayed in egypt. guaranteed not - otherwise, you wouldnt say this... you, from the west bank, would feel like on some horror-trip. trust me... the only thing, what keeps them a on the ground is the enormous fear of everyone "official"...

"...because you deserve it, just like any person in the world deserves to be a free man living under a democratic regime and able to determine his own fate. " Does that mean Palestinians are the exception? Or maybe they are not 'person'?