I do armed Americans. Israelis might be the good kind of crazy, but most have military training and are not stupid. In contrast, most armed Americans don't have military training and are often not the brightest people... excluding our fine men and women in the armed forces of course. I wouldn't object to every Israeli owning a weapon provided they have served in the military, but I do worry about kharedim and other ultra-religious packing heat. Let's face it, some rabbim do not have the best interests of the State at heart.

Ministry of Interior can kiss my arse and can go to hell . Every jew in Israel should be armed and dangerous. By the way ,a great article by Giulio Meotti.

Israel now has virtually 0% gun ownership outside the West Bank. Like the British public, the Israeli public are staggeringly ignorant about firearms, Unfortunately, unlike most of the British public, they served in the army which means they apparently Know Everything. Israel has a weak and unhealthy "gun culture" that manifests itself most visibly with a few sad, underpaid weirdos hanging around outside train stations and shopping malls clutching a Glock, trying to look as hard as possible whilst checking people's bags. Thankfully they seem to have done away with the practice of allowing so many basic training soldiers wander around with M16s, though it does mean there are a lot less girls with guns, which is a shame. An Israeli shooting range is a experience to behold. Mostly it's fat dolts with shaven heads and wraparound sunglasses shouting "terrorist" while adopting a number of silly macho shooting postures borrowed from Hollywood movies. I suspect few of them actually served in IDF combat positions. There are apparently no long (i.e. beyond 100m) shooting ranges open to civilians, which makes shooting centrefire rifles a frankly pointless and expensive waste. That doesn't stop the dolts happily blasting off a day's production at the IMI ammunition factory at twenty-five to fifty meters though. As for .22, Israelis don't understand why anyone would want to shoot such a wimpy and weedy cartridge, and as for _actual_ target practice? You haven't been living there long enough. Tally-ho!

Please don't talk about yourself that way ,and as for "knowing everything" that sounds suspiciously like yourself. TALLY-HO.

Jews were once harassed and kicked around like animals. Now, we fight back. Just as every other culture has done only as with most things, Jews are perhaps the most efficient at it which irks everyone even more. It's hard to teach an "old dog" new tricks: the world will learn to get used to it or waste their lives and times complaining about the Jews survival capabilities and their Loss of their favorite scape goat. Now, they complain about how successful (rich) we are. It will probably never end. It's a sick, sick world.

How can we expect the world to respect our rights when we offer P.A. terrorists our 3,500 year old ancestral heartland as if was nothing but a bargaining chip? It's pretty hard to respect the rights of a nation that's always on it's knees begging terrorists to sign a treaty. Before Israel can demand the world respects her rights, Israel must respect her own rights. That begins with officially rejecting the evil Two State Final Solution and annexing Judea and Samaria.

When it happens ( and who knows when that will be ) it will partly be a case of sheer numbers. It's in the Bible and it's called by some the "Battle Of Ezekial"

that certain things in the Bible are referring to something in their time. It's like when some people though Napoleon Bonaparte was the Anti-Christ. It is best not to take it too seriously, though I would never be so arrogant as to tell someone what they should believe (I hate it when atheists do that). It is very useful for archaeology and historiography (studying how people thought in the past) though, especially when you find evidence that corroborates the stories, which you do (just not for the first two books).

the Jew in a heatbeat, Most Israelis who were born in Isreal dont understand that, They live under the illusion that they are an Israeli people equal to all others. Nothing could be further from the truth. You are different. You are Jews. Be proud be strong and if you cant handle it, leave and live among the goyim where you will fade into goyhood.

Bravo Mr. Meotti. Nobody could say it better. G. protect Israel and its people ! Am Israel hay !

Well, all I can say is wait and see. Time will prove one of us right. The Bible speaks of the rapture when those who follow Jesus will suddenly vanish. I suspect this is what will lead to the mark of the beast. People will be terrified and all people will be required to have marks ( bar codes ? ) and implants that will allow people to be tracked. The government will tell them that we will always know where you are so we can come and get you if you are in trouble. Also the mark will prevent identity theft. It will sound good to a lot of people. People will not be able to lie about where they were at any time because the government will know. No idea when this will happen or even for sure in what order but If the Bible is correct it will happen. It is something to watch for Henry just in case?

I wish it was that simple. In fact, the Israeli government has been increasingly limiting the number of arms in the hands of Jewish civilians. Israel's gun control laws are among the harshest in the world, and only got harsher since 1995. The civilians facing the most danger (the "settlers" ) are the ones who are most frequently disarmed and left defenseless. At the same time, the PLO enemies receive an unending influx of arms, munitions and training from foreign sources, while the Israeli government turns a blind eye. Anyone who wants to know more about this can contact me; it is a shocking reality.

They're not all bad you know. Many I know are quite nice and love coming to Israel.

though people look at things in their lives and try to match it with things they see in stories. It's actually one of the great things about human beings that we're capable of such advanced abstract thought. I would say that all the stuff about Revelations relates to the Roman Empire and their persecution of Christians at that time. I could be wrong though. There is no actual way to disprove either the existence of God (I do believe in him) nor to prove that the Bible was or was not divinely inspired (I do not believe that). Hypotheses are simply beliefs until they are proved or disproved and paradigms could be described in the same way if I understand the term correctly. As you say, time will prove one of us correct.

You'll have enough small arms to keep you content & safe The arms you bought years ago, will make you a tidy profit at any gun show

protect you, you'll have already departed to your permanent resting place Armed American's in many counties must undergo firearms traing before the permit will be issued What gives you the qualifaction to dtermine who is or isn't bright? Most gun people I know, that have legal arms, are very careful of how they use them, they dread the thought of legal consequences that might result if they're improperly used Anyone here that gets a pistol or rifle permit, to carry for his own personal use, receives a very thorough checking out I have been packing since my days in the U.S. Army and ever since

I carry a .45 & .22 for backup either the puny .22 long rifle hollow point can put someones lights out permanently when the shot is properly place,someplace in the head, the .22 magnum will do a better job..Facts are that the .22 is far more effective than .25 Better to have the .22 than nohting else

admire the nation or the pis

Send this article to the British Guardian.they are always writing very negative and nasty articles about Israel. The Guardian would rather have Jews who are cowering than Jews who know how to protect themselves.

ironic... israel is a parasite. the whole world pay to keep it going. What do you call that?!

also be apparent from my tb's that I don't have a very high opinion of most of my fellow Americans. It might partly be out of intellectual elitism (I guess that is what you could call it?), and the fact that I am cynical about US politics. Nothing gives me the qualification of course; the question is though, who is qualified? Should it be something decided upon by a court? By the legislature? By presidential order or by referenda? I don't know. Here is Israel or a place in the US? If the legal consequences are enough of a deterent then good, but you know there are some people who literally do not care about the law (my brother is dating one in fact; crazy Canadian yehudit), and those are the ones you really have to worry about. Of course, I remember now hearing about this one town in the US where everyone is required to own a gun and there is apparently zero crime (because everyone knows that the victim will be packing). As for a soldier to protect me... well, that depends on whether I am in New York, Connecticut or D.C. =p Of course, I have always told myself that if there actually were a threat of invasion I would join the US Military (choice of dying at home or getting to kill a few of them before you go).

well,lawrence of arabia,#34 makes many valid points.

As a visitor to Israel in 2006 I must say that seeing young, attractive Israeli soldiers male and female made me feel very secure. I even got to know a female security guard at one of the hotels I stayed at and came to respect her as my protector while I was in Israel at that hotel. She explained that she had served as a fighter in the IDF at an earlier time. She was confident and inspired me with the view that Canadian and American youth should be required to serve and if necessary fight for their country just as Israeli youth must. I admire and thank the armed Israelis. A most moral nation when it comes to both defense and offense.

Yes. The point about Jews being able to defend themselves now as a great accomplishment of Israel is correct. But the fact that thousands of people walk around with weapons does not in my opinion have much to do with this. As I see it much of the gun- carrying is superflous. I am not talking about military or police personnel on duty or on their way to duty. I also would make the point that for me anyway it would be much more pleasant to see fewer weapons. It would even be more pleasant were no weapons needed at all. Unfortunately this is totally unrealistic.

Too many Jews have lost all empathy. They are always victims. So much so that they victimize others to preempt being victimized. Jews without empathy for Arabs, blacks, or other Jews are worthless Jews. Wear a gun if need be. Keep a sharp eye out for the bad guys, but be a kind person as well.

confusing Israel with sub-Saharan Africa or Greece (not that I don't love Greeks). That has to be the strangest off-the-mark comment I have read today. I call that a false statement on your part. I'm sorry, but it is false.

mandatory military service would be good for our country. It would build character in our apathetic youth. It would also help to get Americans off their lazy asses (not that I have done anything useful with my one month of vacation between semesters). Good luck getting people to vote for such a thing though. American mothers: "My baby boy/girl in the military?! NO!!"

What really is the difference between and islamic sunni fromgaza or even Ramallah and an islamic sunni from Cairo .They can intermarry have similiar customs and dress and are closer than the jewish haredim and the jewish secular . Therefore the iron wall promulagated by Jabotinsky is not inhumane but necessary to prevent a satanic blood bath ,