The reactions of JP readers to this article is most comical. No sooner than a friend, an ally , or just people with good intentions raise questions about Israel's actions a slew of accusations fly left and right in the most irresponsible way and the label of anit-semistism is immediately applied. Such behavior cheapens the ostracism that should accompany any accisations of anti-semitism. Friends , spare us your knee-jerk reactions.

that was meant to be the ally... Gates is too late with his truths'...That's the pity of being a political creep, and worrying about your job...One can't tell the truth to hopefully make changes...you're stuck covering/saving your a--s, whch means everyone suffers... TATA

and read some real history... Talking to, or even trying to reason with a Zionist is futile... So how is wonderful Israel doing lately? Does the future of Israel look as promising as it always has, will it always be so, or will Israel still be fighting for survival with the same enemies forever?? TATA

Mr. Gates you have been a failure during your time with Mr. Bush and you are an even bigger failure under Mr. Obama. Mind your own business and watch you ""ally "" Turkey becoming the new Iran.

You are a disaster for the State of Israel! Sec. Gates' statements have nothing to do with anti-Semitism. But they do have everything to do with reality. Your policies grabbing land for settlements have killed any useful progress on peace and are isolating Israel daily. Under PM Y. Rabin, z"l, nations around the globe, including Muslim states, were opening relations with Israel. So what happened ? Did these countries and leaders catch a sudden case of anti-Semitism they didn't have 15 years ago? No - it is your blatant obstruction of peace in the name of expanding settlements at all cost. So you will have your settlements - while Israel the country faces pariah status, world isolation, a broken economy - and constant war & hostility . Great trade-off and future for our children. The new Masada.

Mr. Gates should not fail to add up the most important new factor in the equation: C-H-I-N-A. Since President Obama pointedly and hostly treated Israel like dirt in the beginning of his administration, often barely containing his dislike for Jews (read: could;t have them in the WH except through the back door) Israel has turned her head toward the knocking on the door. Who's out there, waiting for the friendship with Israel? Who wants to be Israel's new best friend? China does. China wisely understands that Israel has been responsible for most of the intelligence developments in the world (both have focused on cube war wafer and Israel has provided the key stokes in both Afghanistan and Iraq for US opts btw). China LOVES Israel, loves Jewish people and understand the same bottom lines. China also gets it when it comes to loyalty and allegiance, unlike the Obama admin. So Mr. Gates can take his Jstreet attitude and stuff it. This is but another example of America going right down the tube. China, Mr. Gates, China....

Well, well, well. It would appear that Mr. Gates has forgotten all about Israel's destruction of the Osirac reactor, thereby trashing Iraq's nuclear ambitions. Would have been QUITE a different Gulf War, otherwise. Think of all the American servicemen and women that did NOT come home in body bags, thanks to Israel. Going back a bit further, it would appear that the United States has forgotten which country gave it its first look at the Soviet T-72 tank, back when it was the mainstay battletank of the Soviet Union and there was nothing in the NATO arsenal that could pierce its skin. It would also appear that the United States has conveniently forgotten who gave it its first look at the Soviet MiG-19, MiG-21 and Mi-23. So, who is the ungrateful ally? Israel should demand an apology from that idiot Gates. Or from the United States. What a despicable -- and completely false -- thing to say!

Don't worry about us. Worry about the United States. Trust me, dahlink, we are not going to file passively into gas chambers ever again. Should it come to it, we are going to exercise what is called the Shimshon option, and pull down the temple walls. We will take a significant portion of the world with us, and make the rest uninhabitable for the next 100,000 years. Think we can't? Think we won't? Think again. Trust I have answered your extraordinarily stupid question. By the way -- so you think the Saudis are the U.S.'s friends? With an entire U.S. fleet berthed off the coast of Saudi Arabia to protect them, how have the Suadis "rewarded" the United States? They just cut production and jacked up the price of light crude. Wow. With friends like that, who needs an enemy?

If Israel wants to remain democratic and Jewish it will have to separate from the Palestinians. If a one state solution evolves as events unfold, either Israeli Jews will become a minority in a Palestinian state –with all the consequences that implies- or Israel will rule over a disenfranchised Palestinian community and cease to be a democracy.

IF PRES OBAMA WASN'T SO IN COMPETENT AND IN EXPERIENCED AND SO BIASED AND ALSO IGNORING THE PM HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TREADED DIFFERENTLY IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ISRAEL YOU SHOULD GO AND SEE FIRST HAND HOW RESPECTFUL THAT COUNTRY IS , EVEN TO THE PALISTINIANS THAT LIVE THERE BUT THE JEWS DON'T GET THE SAME RESPECT IN BETHLEHAM GATES IS NOTHING BUT A PUPPET TO OBAMA GOD BLESS ISRAEL AND THE USA , WE MUST STAND WITH ISRAEL OUR ONLY TRUE ALLY .

The Zionist idea makes it different and it is no longer necessary. Jews who wanted to come came to Israel. Most of world's Jews today are happy wherever they are and no longer support Zionism. Israel needs to behave like any other nation on earth and then Americans like Sec. Gates will start understanding it and will support it. Israel needs to declare itself a Nation of Israelis first, a country which forges alliances with other countries for reasons of its security and wellbeing. Otherwise, Israel will remain a weirdo country, an unpredictable and unwanted "ally" to anyone.

While the "Liberals" may be Anti-Israel, I think that is mainly because Republicans are Pro-Israel Republcans are Anti-Semetic to the core, Israel is a pawn for them

You must hang out with Soros.Most U.S. Citizens wholeheartedly support Israel thats my own empirical evidence as well as all recent polls.

There goes Edithann again, spouting off about those "zionists" again. She really hates those "settlers" who are "occupying" land "illegaly". So, Edithann, when are you leaving your illegal house, giving the land you stole back to the Native Americans, and going back to Europe where you come from? Or are you going to glibly continue sitting there on the lands you whities stole from the natives? Trying to reason with a person like you is futile. You obviously support settlement and occupation - since you are a settler on occupied/stolen Native American land.

The American people overwhelmingly support Israel, even if a few treacherous types like you don't. Typical "who needs Jews, we need oil" type of attitude of someone both ignorant and stupid. Israel has given America and the world many gifts--technologies, medicines, agricultural innovations, a working multi-ethnic democracy in a wretched backwater of camel dictatorships. Crawl back under your rock and let the real men and women talk.

the State department is however and ALWAYS has been...including Hilary

and so are millions more!

its leaders should do What is in the best interest of Israel -not some globalist leaning advisor from the US

All I can say is every nation in the world and all its citizens can be againsst Israel bur Israel will always remain with the Jews because God is on there side and He will not let them be destroyed. I will always side Israel because of that. Do I agree with every decsion they make, no, but I will always be their ally. I also believe that those who side against Israel do so at their own peril.

Yes, the only one we have ever and always had. G-d. I am not haredi. But I do stand in awe of our still being here when large empires have crumbled. When there is no logical explanation, there is only ONE explanation.

Israel haters (read Jew haters) cross the isles: Eisenhower, Bush the father, Carter, Obama.

gates is moving his lips......one of the worst defense sec. the usa has ever had!gates is the ungreatful one- the intelligence aid israel provides the usa on an hourly basis has saved countless of american lives-- screw you gstes and your former boss!

Gates says Israel is ungrateful as it did not rciprocate is a lie. America's help was a payoff ONLY forISrael not tacking Iran. The specialized radar station in the Negev is operated ONLY by US personnel and it is an advance point that helps the US as much as it helps Israel. That's what allies do. Gates was always anti-Israel, a terrible Secy of Defense, and The Us is far less safe since he served in his post.

A quick check on the web reveals that Clinton and Gates regurarly meet and both are termed "Midwestern United Methodists" whose church heirachy are the leaders of the Mainstream Protestant Churches and their anti Israel stance, Israeli political leaders and media are amiss when they dont check out the religious backgrounds that influence world leaders. It is very possible that both Gates and HIlary Clinton are influenced by their church leaders extreme liberal and extreme anti Israel stands. For most media elete religion plays no part in their lives so they tend to ignore ther relevance of their influences.

"Most of world's Jews today are happy wherever they are and no longer support Zionism." We know that you are extraordinarily stupid. You do not have to keep on proving it. That was a remarkably and utterly ridiculous comment, by the way. Also completely wrong.

Public officials sometimes speak the truth after they leave office.

This must be a joke. Considering all countries America has gone to war for. I don't remember one thank you to USA. As I remember WWII American didn't get involved until Pearl Harbor.American had proof Jews where being killed an did nothing.They didn't bomb rail yards, trains, concentration camps.They never opened theta borders to Jews.There record in WWII on behalf of Jewish people was disgusting bordering on anti -semetism.For him to complain about Israel is a joke.Let America ask forgiveness for millions of Jews they let die.It's ok for us to open our borders today to uneducated people an give citizenship to anyone born here.After American comes clean about there behavior during WWII towards Jews.Why they stood by as millions died .American should look at it's own record first before cricizing Israel .What's value of future musician, scientist, doctor, author, dancer artists? How there discoveries would have saved thousands of lives.We will never know as we stood by as they where gased to death. After war we allowed Nazis's to come to this country an 100,s of others to escape justice.America record is horrible. They have no right to cricize Israel.