That Israel has decided that it is more important to settle as many Jews as possible in Yosh than to make a real effort to achieve peace. The result is that instead of improving Health services, Education, Housing etc, Israel has to spend billions on advanced defence technology. These problems are threatening the future of Israel more than Iran is.

The authors of the column are absolutely right with their statement. Israel has been pressed by the world opinion in only acting defensively and even than are condemned for doing such instead of being able to eradicate the problem which is palestinian Arab vicious and murderous aggression supported by Iranian money and weapons smuggled via corrupt Egyptian border police. It's inconceivable that a strip of land inhabited by those who's income completely depends upon foreign aid has a weapons arsenal larger than most European countries!

To keep our memory in a shape? How in the world PM of Israel ( together with President, DM and IDF Chief of Staff ) who thwarted Iron Dome and installed 0 batteries in 3 years remain in their respective seats? Assad did more for Syria in the same span of time.

Iron Dome is not the solution. Israel must stop playing defense and take the offensive. As we did before the Oslo Disaster, when we were respected by friends and foes alike. You can never win playing defense. As far as Gaza is concerned; we should retake it forever.

As one who is normally enthused about technological wizardly (having 2 sons who are EE graduates, California Institute of Technology AKA Caltech and MIT) I understand the initial euphoria over Iron Dome, and the genius behind it. I salute those who made it happen. NEVERTHELESS, 2 points are intrinsic to the calculus. First, we can't be 'Iron Domed' to safety. Rational people understand this, or should. Second, by concentrating on the technological feat, one misses the real issue-we ARE at war! Wars are won on many levels.This is a fact. HOWEVER, without uprooting/destroying/assassinating those who use our civilians for target practice, the main thing which Iran Dome does is provide a 'short' respite from a war that MUST be won. Faster....faster......

These only help to raise another generation of Jews who are skeptical of the world's commitment to the protection of the Jewish endangered species. For Jews, it manifests as a world view of us against them. It creates a hatred for others that continues and rightly so.

Here's for a starter: 1. Every intercepted missile means prevention of destruction and certain life losses . 2. Finally we have the means to defend our people from this asymmetric threat 3. Just put in the money needed in that defence for the whole of the country. 4. This is the answer to Hezbolla threat as well. 5 I'm happy w/ this right now, before any of you illusional armchair Generals continue to cry for total Gaza destruction, or any other massive offense that will cost precious lives of our sons and wasted money, that could buy the additional missile defense. And finally - a good offense is based on strong defense. That's elementary rule of any game.

Level Gaza. Completely. Whatever human detritus is left can be sent to Egypt. It is absolutely unconscionable that Jewish children must learn in bomb shelters and that the peaceful citizens of Israel must sleep in shelters. Enough has been far too much. Destroy Gaza; and then take it back. Take back Sinai (the Egyptians have violated the 1979 truce often enough to rely upon the terms and conditions of the peace agreement with Egypt which requires the restoration of Sinai to Israel in the event of any abrogation). The good people of southern Israel deserve peace and quiet. They also deserve to be relieved of the sub-human terrorists that reside in Gaza. Gaza has had more than enough chances to prove its peaceful intent. We now know that Gazans have no peaceful intent (11,000 missiles and 17,000 mortars are more than ample proof). Not a single Israeli child should have to live, study and sleep in a bomb shelter. Clearly the Gazans do not care much about their children. Israel cares about Israeli children. Time to put a stop to this madness. Time to assert a war against terror, and terrorists. The ersatz "Palestinians" have been given more than a fair chance to prove their so-called "peaceful" intent. They have failed miserably; each time, every time. The time has come to put a stop to the acts of vile ersatz "Palestinian" terrorists. Not a single Jewish child should suffer any longer.

...forcing millions of Jews into bomb shelters, and forcing Israel to agree to a truce, and to agree to stop unprovoked assassinations in Gaza.

I hope that Mr. Daum does not mind my quoting, in English translation, a Yiddish saying that when one talks too much, one talks nonsense. The Dome system is something to be joyous about even when it is not the do all answer to Israel's defense. Some folks just cannot bring themselves to be positive when it does not suit their idiosyncrasies.

seems that the iron dome designed to save population from deads and injuries victims is not disappointed us.

While I have no doubt that the Iron Dome is a marvellous technological achievement which performs brilliamtly ,Israel will need thousand of these anti-rocket missiles.

You Stan da man . Da real problem is that you do not know what you are talking about .

Right on. Absolutely correct on all counts, I'd add the following. 1. cost will be zero when the orders start pouring in for this battle tested system. 2. Iron Dome is the epitome of a Jewish strategy. Protect the civilians to enable the luxury of surgical targeting and elimination of the bad guys. 3. all this with minimal risk to our precious boys and girls in green. And with reference to the false sense of joy...I have not met a single Israeli that doesn't understand we are in a constant state of peril. They just choose to live wiith it and focus on living as productive and normal a life as possible. As for peace... One day Iron Dome or its successor will be 100% accurate and cheap to operate. And like Sadat, the Arabs will come to realize that their best and only option is to live in peace and prosperity with the best thing that ever happened to the middle east - the State of Israel.

Only two Factions fired rockets last weak; PRC & IJ. was it Iranian test for Israel's Iron Dome? anyhow Israel failed the test of intercepting Mass Missiles (MM).

clarification: Rthe weapons are not being smuggled. They are being freighted in, in ulimited quantity and type through the underground highway of 600 or more tunnels. a transportation system that's impervious to aerial attack or interdiction. The US and EU Russia and China are enjoying the entertainment as the Romans did in the Forum. I can't say that the Jews can do much about it other than to keep their noses above the roiling watters while Obama AND HIS PREDECESSORS, anchored their legs down preventing them from escaping the trap. There can be no salvation in pulling back. ther is no salvation in holding back. There is no salvation until every last Arab inside the territory west of the Jordan and east of the Mediterranean is disarmed, the preachers in mosques are eliminated if they utter one hint of inciting/complaing against the Jews, and the teachers are replaced by center-right leaning Jews.; or they are forcibly expelled from the region.

And it is shame...the Russians killed more than 50 000 Chechens, the French actually made a genocide in Algeria, but when we kill only a FEW, a FEW terrorists, or if a military dog bites only ONE "Palestinian" protester then we are "aggressors". Well I won't care what the UN and West say when our relatives our in danger and family... I rather be an aggressor than a victim of a new Auswitz by nuclear Iran / terror rockets from Gaza.

The point is well taken. Iron Dome is undoubtedly a superb technological achievement, but it is not a miraculous answer to Israel's security problems. The odds for success will always favor the attacker, who has the choice of how, when and where. Success does not mean simply blocking some, or even most, of the attacks, it means preventing the attacker from attacking. Iron Dome doesn't do that.

Zar lo yavin...

Delude yourself all you wish...all's taken care of. Surprise ...

Israelis are paralyzed with fear of the nations of the world, perhaps they will view us as evil? Syria can kill their own people, Afgans blow each other up, but our politicians are scared shitless of what the goyim will say. If we had a leader, we would flatten out Gaza city and tell them if they do not submit to a surrender we will do the same to the rest of gaza. If we do not confescate their weapons and stop their desire to kill us, they will eventually kill us.

So what is it, Stan? Are we spending all our money on "settlements"? Or are we spending all our money on Iron Dome? Uh. Stanley...can I ask you a stupid question? If Yosh (Judea and Samaria aka the west bank for you non-hebrew speakers out there) is the problem, then why are the terrorists in Gaza shooting at Beersheba? And my next stupid question to you, Stanley, is that if Israel as you say decided to settle as many Jews in the west bank as possible, then why are there no new settlements and a 95 percent freeze on new construction? Stanley - do you live in that settlement the Palestinians call Ramat Aviv and get your news from J Street? Do you have any idea who factually wrong you are?

Brian why don't you admit that this country is falling apart? Why were there so many demonstrations last Summer? Why are we short of hospital beds? Why are so many teachers paid so little? Why do parents have to pay so much for FREE education? etc etc etc ! and by the way, I live in the North as I have for the past 50 years ever since coming to Israel.

Bravo and again bravo, Adina, Why is it,that the bone fide idiot E. barak, and even Bibi DO NOT seem to grok this SIMPLE reality - WE ARE AT WAR, that is being lost, by the Jewish state !!!!

If all you want to do is shoot down the odd rocket now and again Iron Dome is ideal but if your dealing with barrages its useless because its just wasn't designed for that. With a price tag of $50,000 a shot the costs soon add up when large numbers of rockets are fired. Over the last week over 200 rockets have been fired into Israel so we must have spent millions on Iron Dome interceptors alone and shooting down rockets doesn't bring security .. its just a provides a political excuse to avoid going on the offensive which is why Obama was kind enough to fund the purchase of two Iron Dome batteries. Get Iron Dome to provide a false sense of security and the public won't demand the government go on the offensive which is just what Obama wanted. Bibi like a good little lap dog did as he was told by his American master and has tried to sell us the image of Iron Dome being the missile messiah we have all been waiting for. Fact is Iron Dome has only a very limited use because can't deal with barrages and in wartime it has no value at all. The interceptors are expensive and the military have to buy large stockpiles of them in advance so the money they spend on Iron Dome comes at the expense of the equipment then need to actually fight wars. Israel's has become a country where the majority in the political establishment think is lets to be the victim and respond to enemy attacks rather than go on the offensive where we pick the time & place of the battle. Its the 1973 mentality rather than a 1967 one. We intentionally wait for the enemy to make the first move so we can be seen as victims which makes a better image abroad. Everybody looks back to 1967 with nostalgia but who looks at 1973 and says this was our finest hour? The reason it all went so badly in 1973 is because despite the fact she knew an attack was inevitable Golda decided not to pre empt because she wanted Israel to look like a victim, the good guy image was more important that a swift victory with minimum casualties like in1967. Sadly virtually every single government since then has also adopted the victimhood is best philosophy. If Peres had got his way Saddam Hussain would have got nuclear weapons because he didn't want Israel to be seen as an aggressor and planned to make Begin's plan to attack the nuclear reactor public before it could be carried out. If we didn't want to play the victim so much our enemies might actually think twice about attacking because they would be worried we would come out of it celebrating while they lick their wounds. Instead now days we sit back take the punishment because then we can play the victim and if and when we do eventually fight back it must be a proportional response because victims don't fight to win they just fight to stop the current attack. We need less modern day politicians who think image is everything and more bruisers like Ben Gurion, Begin & Sharon.

missiles can be sent from alaska or anywhere .... and israelis can only look in the sky to see where its falling ....

Just two comments on your excellent response. The Iron Dome is not a total failure. In the next war, civilians will need to move to Judea and Samaria for safety but Iron Dome will help defend critical infrastructure like power plants, water plants, airports and emergency stores. Golda's (and now Netanyahu's) plans failed. Since 1973 when Israel tried to be the "good Jew" victim, Israel is hated. After 1967 when Israel defended herself like a real country, she became popular. Hopefully when the shooting starts Barak and Netanyahu will flee the country for safety and let someone normal run the country.