The whole Israeli shtick of "Hold me back so I do not attack!" has backfired. Nobody, besides several aging right wing Jews in Miami Beach, is taking Israel seriously anymore. Maybe we should look for weaker foes next time. It's time to start threatening Andorra.

Unfortunately Israel has exhausted all means of talking to the world. Doesn't matter if we have a convincing charistmatic leader like Winston Churchill or even a Jewish equivalent of Martin Luther King. Once again the Jews are left to fend for themselves just like Douglas Murray ( search YouTube his debate re Iran) said of the Yom Kippur War " the Israelis knew you (the EU) wouldn't lift a finger and they were right. The same will be seen with Iran.

bibi raised by his historican father can certainly deliver a speech as he did today at the UN. But since his premiership in the 90s, other than small responses to terror which is more than the others did, he is incapable of undertaking large actions. He cannot do them. To compensate for his insecurities, he surrounds himself with barak and yaalon and then mofaz and then not and then dichter and he essentially asks everyone else but himslelf to make the decision. He is not confortable in his own skin. As well his judgement is not good as he has relied on first mofaz, a lousy chief of staff and then on barak who since 1999 has been a disaster in security roles and is burned out, totally burned out.

face and rejecting His gift of the land. If we don't want it we don't deserve it.

The stark truth of the matter is that Netanyahu and his fancy speeches have come to a dead end. All his fancy speeches ,though enjoyable to listen to and impressive ,have solved little regarding the iranian nuclear threat . I fear that Mr .Netanyahu has been exposed but I may very well be wrong or mistaken .In any case ,Netanyahu needs to " put up ,or shut up ."

and not one word about this being OUR LAND. Scholars gave him the Levy Report and still nothing. The Moshiach will claim all the land and trust in HaShem to protect us. Bibi wouldn't do that in a million years.

Have Anyone Of Us Lived In Bibi's Shoes? What All Need To Do Is Give Undying Support To Prime Minister Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu! Why? As Past Has Shown Us We Are Never Alone? Instead of complaining Submitt Fecible Solutions To The Israeli Government. Come Together, Pray, and there must Be Unity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! May P.M. Netanyahu Be Blessed And Granted Wisdom, Strength and Success !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ברוך הא שם

If Israel waits until after the U.S. election and Obama wins, Obama will not have any reason to help israel as he already won. However if Israel stikes before the election Obama may be forced to stand, though weakly, by Israel to keep the 60 percent Jewish vote and the evangelical Christian vote. Then again, Bibi may be all talk and no action no matter who wins and no matter what threats Israel is under.

First of all, the economic sanctions weakens Iran. Second of all, fall of Assad will weakens Iran, Assad is Iran, if you attack Iran, assad + hezbollah will attack you. Third of all, you have EMP and nukes, you can always EMP and nukes them to smithereens if they have the bomb. Fourth of all, what you need is strengthen the economy, strengthening the middle class and poor class and stabilizes the rich class. You have EMP and nukes. You should worry more about Muslim Brotherhood and Jihadist solo. Focus on Assad and stealth.

While he failed to get the US to set a deadline to negociations with Iran or to draw a Red Line he has succeeded through his threats to strike Iran to get the West to impose sanctions with some teeth although well too late. These sanctions are still insufficient . He also bartered politically with the US & got significant additions to Israel's arsenal of defensive & offensive weapons

We can start a war but we cannot finish it without US involvement. Even Bibi understands this, hence his procrastination. America must be with us from day one preferably with the support of other western powers. Jewish history is full of other Jewish leaders from the zealots at massada to bar Kochba who while acting on their patriotism brought death and destruction to tens of tens of thousands. Thank god Bibi may not be a messianist like them and the author of this article.

The U.S. will have the back of Israel no matter what and no matter who is President. There are forces much powerful than one president of the USA. Shut up about us not supporting you. It doesn't help the cause. We will help you no matter what. Our country will not allow Israel to be 'wiped off the map.' Even if you start it, we'll be there to help you finish it and thats understood by all leaders I think. Its probably better that Israel start it and then we come in anyway, think about it from our perspective. We have many more soldiers in many more hostile places (not to say Israel isn't in a hostile place - it is). We're going to help, and so is Britain, and France and maybe even a couple other countries. Everyone's going to have to anyway because its going to be way bigger than anyone thinks.

While it is likely that Iran may not know what type of force Israel will use against them, Israel also does not know about what type of force Iran might use. In a situation like this, it will be utter stupidity to dare to attack Iran. If the conflict starts, it is very likely Israel will not be totally destroyed, but it will be damaged beyond the stage where it can ever come back to its condition previous to this conflict. Yoel Meltzer and Netanyahu can’t be that fool. If they are bluffing, then they are even greater fools, because this Iran bluff has run its course and is now sounds like a joke.

10,000 jews werent evacuated from gaza- it was more like 6000. I wonder what else is wrong with this piece....

ready to face the consequences of an attack on Iran? That's why we simply can't wait for Netanyahu to do the Walk , and not only talking the Talk? All that while we bemoan the rising price of cottage cheese...!

If Israel had attacked 2 years ago then Iran would have been rebuilding for two years and if it had attacked five years ago then Iran would most likely be back to where it is now. Israel, the US and many other countries know when tactical nuclear weapons instead of bunker-blasters would have to be used at that is most likely the red-line.

Israeli leaders understand this--even if the average Ynet talkbacker thinks otherwise. This is why Israelis have been begging and pleading for the US to do its dirty work for it. But guess what? No one in the world is as paranoid of the third-world, inept, backwards Iran as Israel is. Iran may be able to hit "soft-targets" in various nations, but they're not about to risk utter destruction by attempting to assemble a nuclear bomb. What Iran has wanted all along is for Israel to look foolish by running around the world screaming that the "sky is falling." They've succeeded far more than they hoped in this. As a bonus, this whole fiasco has caused a serious falling out with Israel and its sugar daddy. The bottom line is that Israel has been played.

Whilst its very easy to criticise Bibi and say its decision time for him as the man who has to make the call its not so easy. He knows the limitations of the IDF and he also knows there will be an Iranian response will result in people being killed. Doesn't manny if its 1 or 1,000 those people are still dead. In wars its also a fact that there are going to be casualties but Bibi has to decide if the cost economically, politically and in terms of lives are worth the results. Attacking should not be ruled out because there will be casualties because better a conventional war today than nuclear one tomorrow but we have to be sure its the right choice and that needs to be decided by alot of things including info that Bibi has access to but we do not.

As far as I Know, the Koran has stated that intentionally Murdering innocents, the Perpetratior must be punished with the same act,, that is, Irans intention to destroy Israel must be punished with the like. Israel is in no way Guilty before Iran. And Even HASHEM has the same law. Wait and see said the Englisman. Arn.

but to say the red line is the difference between the use of bunker busters and tactical nukes may be a bit off. Tactical nukes should be used under any scenario for the following reasons: A, Get rid of the stigma about using them B. Making damn sure the sh*t is completely destroyed

It is indeed facile and rather cheap to criticise from afar .Prime Minister may not be perfecxt ( who is ? ) but he has done a good job thus far and he deserves our full support.

When I wrote "roughly 10,000 Jews were thrown out of their homes" this included Gaza and the Northern Shomron. But you're right, I should have double checked my figures since the actual number is roughly 9,000. However, when you throw in the figure of 6,000 it seems as if you're ignoring the very important result of the Disengagement (the second part of my sentence).

Dear author, Even according to the estimatiions of Bibi and Barak, a solo Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear installations would not put an end to the Iranian nuclear weapons program, but only delay it by no more than a year and a half. If you have reliable evidence that this is not the case, cite your evidence.

That's all that really matters. Destroy Iran's nukes NOW!

Brilliant, powerful and compelling Must Read treatise.

I applaud Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech at the U.N. General Assembly yesterday. He said what my own president Obama should have said, but did not. Obama relied on vague remarks such as "The US will do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon." But he failed to specify what that means. After Bibi's speech, he refused to draw the red line that Bibi called for. This to me is feckless and dangerous. If the US is to truly stand by Israel, then she must join with Israel in drawing that red line. Sadly, under Obama, I have no confidence that my nation will do so. Kudos to Prime Minister Netanyahu for the courage and leadership he demonstrated at the U.N. before the whole world. Shame on Obama for failing to do the same.

You say, "Although the result of an Israeli strike, either alone or with the United States, will possibly mean war," There's no "possibly" here. The whole middle east will go up in flames if Israel attacks Iran, with or without the U.S. -- and I doubt Obama will agree to this. Your hawkish approach will appeal to the extreme Right in the U.S., and if Romney wins, you might get a bilateral operation, which will complicate things even further. I'm guessing that Bibi is waiting for the results of the American presidential election to decide what to do. A war against Iran will include Hamas and Hizbullah, which will result in many civilian casualties in Israel. There's got to be a better option -- one that doesn't include an attack by Israel.

Look it up in a dictionary. In English the word is "evicted" or "ethnically cleansed", not "evacuated". And it was 10000.

I am very scared of a 'Pearl Harbour' event, but if Israel attacks Iran on it's own, it will certainly cause the word to turn against Israel. We can't afford that. Bibi please persuade the US and UN with the rest of the world not to sit on their hands and wait for desaster. If Iran strikes it will be too late, not just for Israel, but the rest of the world. They waited too long in the second ww, now there won't be a second chance.

He tried to drag the US into it but US wont bite. Now he is climbing carefully down the tree trying not stumble.but the klutz that he is his chances are not great.