I wish Yoram Cohen the best of luck in his new position. His success is the nation of Israel's success.

In Israel, Conservative ministers including those working for the Shin Bet in order to please secular public are worse than the non-religious for these positions. In the US, secular Jews in such positions trying to please non-Jews are worse than the non-Jews and religious Jews for these positions.

He does not dress as any religious person does, and since he is supposedly religious, what ever that means, it is quite possible that he will just show his anti religious buddies just how he can bash a settler's head.

Ynet doesn't like Cohen's appointment for obvious reasons.Let's not stereotype and jump to conclusions. Let's hope for the sake of the israeli people that he's a good jew who loves his country. The problem is the Netanyahu&Barak duo and their inept government!

and already the fascist right is on his case! Hey Fascist Right give the man his grace period before you begin with your ridiculous manipulative behaviors!

The only insitution that is worse than the shinbet for the jews of Judea and Samaria is bagatz. How many times the shinbet itself was guilty of what has been put on settlers' shoulders ?!? What about the infiltrated agents which acted far worse than the more far-rightist, and the lot of scandals of infiltred agent whose role was to agitate ?!? After 20 year of service, the jewish division of the shinbet has achieved almost nothing, and done far worse. I still hope that Cohen is not like his predecessors, but if he get there, it's certain he's the same...

Isn't it amazing...the same people who complain that they are demonized for the way they dress/act/think...automatically suppose that a religious SB head will act according to stereotype...or anti-stereotype. In othe words, under no condition could the illegal actions of settlers be to blame for any reaction against them. It will always be because whoever enacts the law has a secret agenda against them. They think they are above the law...because the law doesn't meet their agenda. I personally hope that the new SB chief will work hard to protect all the citizens of Israel...left/right/religious/secular and Arab and Jew. That's his job.

therefore 'leftists' can trust him-as in 'lebanon's 'right-wing xtians' versu 'left-wing moslems'--with such language we dont even need to think to know 'right from wrong'--only media create the something to prove story..see what he does

to hurt the Right more than the rest of the Shin Bet did. If he persist on doing it, to prove a point. Israel will turn like the rest of Middle East, bloody with no future

Since Cohen was appointed by the PM and approved by the cabinet, he only requires their trust and support. The citizens do not define his job, be they from the right, the left or the Palestinians.

The premise of this piece is strange. I consider myself a political conservative. Most conservatives I know are moderate and cautious according to the literal meaning of the term conservative. Many conservatives have "classical liberal" tendencies. For example, conservatives support freedom of speech and religion (given that it is not genocidal, racist, eliminationist speech and religion), freedom of association, freedom of dissent, freedom of assembly, etc. The author uses the term "extreme conservative" to describe faithful Jews living in Judea and Samaria. Extreme-conservative is an oxymoron. Either one is extreme or one is conservative. One cannot be both extreme and conservative. Some authors use the term "conservative" to describe Wahhabi clerics in Saudi Arabia. There is nothing conservative about these extremists. They are extremists. Iran's president is not a conservative. He is a fanatic. He is an extremist. Surely Mr. Altman is not attempting to draw a parallel between Israel's religious Jews (who are living in faith) and genocidal fanatics like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Is he?

B"H One of the biggest mistakes a Jew can make today is to mix up the "nation of Israel" with the "Children of Israel": The first is an idol-worshipping lot, the second are Jews, faithful to Hashem, to our G-d, blessed is He.

translation: "The State of Israel is the beginning of our redemption" therefore I really don't understand your exceedingly confused comments

leave Jews alone! Let the border patrol watch the borders and leave Jews alone. Or replace both groups with two others that will provide security for us and not work against us.

What is your agenda? What illegal actions are you talking about, that the inhabitants of Yehudah and Shomron committ? The police in Israel don't target the religious? What do you call Gush Katif and its subsequent policy of removal of the religious from every area that they live? We believe what bothers you is that you're threatened by the religious amongst you because they remind you everyday that you cant be something that you're not!

I assume you listen to the radio? Today, Leftist radio-presenter Yaron Dekel attacked the appointment of Cohen. The Left is clearly disappointed that Yud, head of the Jewish Section, was not appointed. But think of it this way: the anti-terrorist section led by Cohen succeeded in preventing attacks from Judea and Samaria. At the same time, the Jewish Section led by Yud has failed miserably. Between the two, Netanyahu had no choice but to select the success Cohen over the failure.

This is alarming. Too soon!