people who ask others to do what they refuse to do have a problem. ABY declines to move to the Negev because he says he's too old. What prevented him from moving there when he was younger? Maybe he's just senile.

"no great effort has been made to settle it..." Crikey. New rail lines to the south? New highways to the south? Support for new high tech industries. New cleantech power plants in the south? AB's problem is that he's an author, not an urban geographer and not a municipal politician. He laments that "Ideologically, there is no reason that the leftist social-democrats should not get together, enter the structure, and rebuild it." Duh? The only leftist social-democrats who are left are busy making sure that there will not be any social-democrats remaining in Israel except for 1/2 dozen Labor party MKs. Leftists are only concerned with one issue: a Palestinian state. They have no other issue and that's why nobody votes for them.

Epic. Fail.

Los Angeles and Las Vegas still have on going water problems. The Jordan river and Dead Sea are drying up so that only leaves converting sea water which is costly. So get the water there and build a lake, then people will want to build there.

Settling a desert is long past being an issue with the tech Israel has. The Mohave desert is LOADED with wind turbines that provide tons of electricity: Santa Barbara uses almost only desalinization plants for their water and it is much cheaper to do nowadays. The cost would be dramatically offset by the profits. The only issue is Egypt, not the bedouins. They're getting a small piece and it's the right thing to do (I.e. The Native Americans: Bedouins have been around forever). Outside of Egypts current turmoil it's a brilliant idea and Many Americans have wondered when the ghetto mentality of Israel will finally dry up and they'll take advantage of ALL the land...not just what is convenient. Mtgs nay-Sayers to this idea are mental midgets with NO insight, foresight or are just lazy bums and keyboard commandos. Nihilism is for losers. The human potential and most certainly that of the Jews doesn't need even a glance to assure us we could easily transform the Negev into the Vegas of the ME but alot better.

does he live in negev and how much timed does he spend there?

The desert environment is pretty fragile and development would require more water and electricity per person than would be required in the middle of the country. But the biggest obstacle is that there is simply not much land available there. The land that isn't environmentally sensitive is either used by the army or claimed by the beduin.

Juniper Cobra was the initiation of the U.S. X-Band radar station opened in 2008 in Israel's Negev Desert. Over 100 American service members are based there for the foreseeable future, the first U.S. troops formally deployed in that nation. U.S. forces are deploying in Israel for a strategically important ballistic missile defense exercise. Israel is denied direct access to the data gathered by the system and can only hope the American operators will pass on the information as and when Israel needs it for self-defense rather than when it suits US interests. The FBX-T radar will not only be able to track Iranian and Syrian missiles and aircraft but also keep watch on Israeli operations, giving the Washington a handle for stalling them.

Give me a job with what I earn now and I will happily go live in the Negev....oh an stop the rockets, that may land in my back yard...

First, I love the desert as a desert. Is pouring concrete over it is a great way to express that love? He got it right that the Jews 'were' associated with the desert for a lengthy 40 years period. Why didn't he move on with the rest of Israel, when we crossed the River Jordan? Where did we then go to....his politically named 'West Bank'. That's where we established the first Jewish capital of our promised land, in Shiloh. Meanwhile, back in the desert with a halucination, our dear friend is saying that we should give the very land 'back' yes 'back' to a people who weren't even around when our Jewish nation settled the complete land of Israel, including Judea & Somaria. By all means, Jews should also live in the Negev, it is a part of Israel. However, let's be consistent in our shared history and learn how to move forwards, based on what we have already been granted by divine grace.

little things, which make for well-planned cities. If we planned a city from the start, we'd have roads wide enough for 2 lanes of traffic, despite the fact that cars will park on both sides of the streets, unfortunately Israeli-style. Every SINGLE place of business and school would have an actual parking lot, suitable for the cars that will actually need to park there. Real urban planning will go a long way. Israelis' would flock to a well-planned place.

Come join us in the Galil! Its beautiful here. Hwy 6 makes it a quick ride to and from the Center, and the widening of many major highways will make it even quicker. We need jobs and infrastructure to make the Galil a center of economic development. So, open both periphery areas, the Galil and Negev to development. Enough with a lost cause in the West Bank, where we have to fight for every square meter, spend billions in defense budget to protect settlers who don't recognize the rule of law, and on top of that stand against intense international pressure which is making us a pariah. We WON! Zionism won! We have our state, its a great achievement! But holding on to the West Bank and building settlements risks it all. As Bibi said, a bi-national state would be a disaster.

All parts of Eretz Yisrael are important, but if you strongly believe in something you should be prepared to set an example.

To give away the WB and stop construction there is suicidal. If we did give them WB, and later they waged another war against us again...they could easily split ISrael in two.

Also, if we "settle negev instead of west bank", it will be as if the arabs threw us out into the desert. We can't be having that, can we?

First, I do respect Israeli law as do the majority of Jews labeled as settlers due to the part of Israel we happen to live in. Do you not think that the international community will turn its attention to Jewish settlers in the Galil, who occupy land close to Arab villages, and drove out 'refugees' in 48 from around Sfat? Or maybe the Bedioun claim to ever more pieces of the Negev? I think you are like many Israelis who just can't see that coming. The same drive to rid the 'whole' of Israel of Jews has not lessened my friend. Yes we should attract Diaspora's Jews to settle the beautiful Galil & parts of the Negev, but don't forget that when Jews won as you nicely put it, that included Joshua's triumph in the Shomron & Judea, the original hold on our beloved land. Other than that, it's nice to hear your patriotic voice and call for further settlement of the land. I'm sure you realize that in the eyes of many of our enemies, you are also considered a settler. Welcome to the club!

The issue you raise is legitimate. But, the question is if it is a matter of nat'l security tor retain the hills and mountains overlooking the Center, and retaining the Jordan River Valley to keep hostile forces and weapons out, then we don't need settlements; rather we need either garrisons of IDF and/or iron clad security guarantees within a peace treaty. The settlers are a major problem for our international standing, a drag on our economy, a threat to national unity and a threat to Israel remaining a Jewish state. If you support ideologically the settlers, then just say so and stop hiding behind the nat'l security argument.

I hear you very well, and I like your patriotic spirit, too. I am not in the camp that the whole world is out to destroy us, rather the contrary. The goal of Zionism from the start was always to win support from the int'l community for a Jewish state in E"I. We got that. Today we have overwhelming support from the int'l community for a Jewish state within the pre-67 boundaries, or a close approximation thereof. We DO NOT have such int'l support for our presence in the West Bank. No less a personage than David Ben Gurion warned us in 1967 to leave the West Bank, or it will consume us. He was right. I am very well aware of the security risks of leaving the WB, and I do not trust the Palestinians or the Arabs elsewhere. In many ways this reminds me of the debate over nuclear arms reduction in the 1980s when President Reagan coined the now famous phrase, "trust, but verify." I also do not accept the equation that Zionism = WB settlement. I am a Zionist, a proud Israeli with children in the iDF, and yet I still do not support settlement in Judea/Samaria as much as I, too, love that land. Bibi is right: we are heading toward a bi-national state, and that is unacceptable.

Come home, brother.

Yitzak, our sons may well be in the same gdud? Tell me, you admit a lack of faith towards an Arab take over of the WB, and place your faith in Israel's international standing. The same global community that would willingly strip away our heart through dividing Jerusalem to satisfy their sense of justice. As much as I have great respect for many individual nations, the parts don't make the whole, and we know exactly the nature of the driving force behind UN politics? Your rationale appears to be one of consolidation, let's strengthen what we have. That's fine, BG was strong on that with creating facts on the ground. Personally, I'd rather have a 'family' disagreement with you, then evacuate (that term relates to a militiary retreat) our homes here to be turned over to potential enemies. If we were to move to the Galil or coastal region, then I would prefer to know who was living in the hills towering above. I read your previous comment suggesting IDF control of the WB, frankly in the eyes of the Intl community, what difference do you honestly think that would make. I do my duty where it counts & also pray for peace for my fellow Jews in Israel (and those still clinging to the exile). I also have friendly relations with many Arabs & believe that given the chance non-extremists could have a working arrangement here in the WB. However, the international community are hell bent on an agenda which clearly rewards one people while scolding the other...guess which! If I moved close to your home, would that really solve the problem? Anyhow, I hope to get the chance of sharing a beer with you sometime, first round's on you!

The project is beyond the critical threshold of the point of no return.

Judea and Samaria are as much part of Israel as New York State is part of America. The author's position that Israel should abandon our ancestral heartland is despicable. Even a cursory glance at a map proves Judea and Samaria not only rightfully belong to Israel. They are necessary to Israel's viability. Israel has had more than enough of the moral and ideological bankrupcy of leftists such as the author. Judea and Samaria are ours forever.

#13. Jews like you who urge Israel to abandon Judea and Samaria are mind boggling. Do you really think Israel would benefit from having an 8 mile (15 minute tank ride) waist? If not, how can you, in good conscious, urge Israel to do such an incredibly stupid, idiotic thing as abandon Judea and Samaria, our ancestral heartland?

Tomer, you would be correct if we were talking about a complete evacuation of all settlers from Yesha. That is not what is on the table. All ideas on the table point to Israel annexing major settlement blocs, that hold about 80% of the settler population, with land swaps to make up the difference. So, it is not as black and white as you are presenting it. David: I prefer wine, or vodka. And its my daughter (I have no sons) who is a hoveshet kravit... Anyway, the dichotomy you place, "Jews standing here or Intl standing" is, unfortunately, the reality. Without int'l standing, there will be no Jews standing anywhere in E"I, including Tel Aviv or here in the Galil. We cannot afford to become diplomatically and economically isolated, as that will only lead to our demise as an independent state. Refusing to budge on the peace process over settlements will do exactly that. We are fully dependent on our trade relations with Europe, the US, Asia, Latin America, Africa... that is the international community, and they have the leverage over us. I don't like it, I wish it were different. I wish it was us who had 33% of the world's oil reserves, but we don't. This is why we must be pragmatic, and it was pragmatism that got us the state in the first place. Shabbat shalom!

#24. The actual Jewish population of Judea and Samaria, including Jerusalem, is close to 700,000. As you note, it is well past the critical mass of no return. We will never allow "Palestine" on our land. It will exist only in some feverish imaginations, like Oz and Neverland. Israel should do everything possible to increase the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria to 1,000,000 plus. Than nobody will even waste their breath talking about fictional "Palestine".

Building in Judea & Samaria has become an obsession and they want to build for the sake of building not for any practical purpose. What should be considered a priority for these people living in an out of the way outpost in Judea & Samaria or actually putting their efforts to good use and developing the land we already have? Everybody seems to have forgotten there is land beyond the coastal plain and Judea & Samaria. The Negev & Galilee are just sitting there saying don't forget about me. We also desperately need jewish settlement for the sake of the country as a whole. We have a growing population and vast tracts of undeveloped land in the north and south. Prices in the centre of the country are skyrocketing to an extent people just can't afford to buy their homes anymore. The bedouin are trying to take over the Negev and in the Galilee the arabs think the whole area belongs to them and have even called for it to be an autonomous zone. We are loosing the bulk of the country to the arabs because of demographics and a lack of desire by the jews to live there and nobody is interested. There are nearly half million jews in Judea and Samaria and maybe about 100,000 in the Negev. Ben Gurion's dream of making the Negev bloom seems to be one of those dreams we talk about but have no desire to make a reality. Time to decide if we want a country for real people or ghettos where the country is divided up and different groups are not allowed outside their allocated region?

jordan is arab palestine..iuareal is too small for another state let alone hamastan..revive jordanian option and share --let jordan be binational!