Doctor, I respect you, I know that you worked for peace before this tragedy happened to your family. But what is the answer? Israel left Gaza, and hamas has used Gaza as a launching ground for rockets against Israeli populations ever since. Gaza needs good people like you who are not bent on destruction. If moderates like you ruling Gaza, we could achieve peace. Wishing you all the best.

Dear Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, From a human being to human being: your story is truly heartbreaking. The thought of losing my own two daughters would enrage and sadden me to the extent that I wouldn't know what to do anymore. I'm ready to elect new leaders on our side. But please let me know: how do we know that, when we take that step, we will find a partner on the other side? I don't ask this with any political agenda, but I'm truly interested in your answer. From an Israeli point of view, we have already taken some major steps in your direction: we agreed to the Oslo agreements, the PA was set up, we withdrew from areas in the Westbank, we withdrew from the Gaza strip, and we withdrew from south-Lebanon. How do we know that choosing other leaders will lead to peace?

Salma,keep thinking the way you think and you'll be in the same shithole life of yours and your people for another 64 years.

a brave man who has suffered terribly due to the ongoing wars. I am not a leftist, but I agree that this warfare has no vicotr, and that it is a political game - even though i disagree about certain things. Hamas should not use their civilian deaths as political chips, and israel does not need to invade. If peace is not attainable now, then ceasefire now. If no political process , then both sides should agree to Geneva conventions, and implement these.

Dear Doctor - you are naive to understand that the only solution is for us to relate to each other as human beings, as parents of children and children of parents. You are naive and many of us are also naive - because we believe that this crisis, like the one in which you lost your children, is nothing more than a failure of leadership on both sides. You are naive enough to believe that if we relate to each other as people, with rights and aspirations, then the future will be better. Many of us share your naivety. But sadly their are cleverer people than you or I on both sides - people who are so clever that they even know what g-d wants and they speak in his name and they "know" that g-d is all about intollerance - while you and i believe that he is a g-d of goodness and of love and of humanity. Let us hope that one day we will have leaders with the humulity that you possess - the decency to recognize that they may not be wrong - that moving forward is full of risk - but that th risk is worht takign because the present is intollerable. and hitting each other harder does not solve the problem

First of all if you kindly reread the Quoran it is written that we the Jews have lived in Israel before the time the Europeans gave the selected parties what have now become the artificial entities such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan Suadi and its neighbors. I have never seen tne word falastin in my readings of the Quoran. And my family, like over 60 percent of all Israeli familiies are not from Europe. Concerning the language of force, as we see in places all over the middle east and northern Africa, is the common language. Just yesterday, over 80 people were murdered in the place reffered to as Syria, but since it is is a common occurance in that culture I guess we overlook it, The same as is done for 'honor killings' and other distinct culturistic traits of our middle eastern neighbors. As for the good Doctor, as a human beings we all are sadened by what has happened to him and only wish him the best where ever he is, because that is what we do in our culture.

...while Arab Palestines don't recognize, in fact, Israel, the so wished peace will be impossible. During 64 years, it has not happened. We can just see it on reading some talckbacks from them. War is a tragedy, but the both sides must work for a honoured agreement. Rabin and Olmert offered to Palestines almost all West Bank. But Arafat didn't accept it, insisting on "right of return". That's the problem. The solution is not difficult.

And you hate Israel more than you love your children. You don't seem to mind caching weapons next to schools and hospitals and missile launchers in private homes -- those despicable acts do not give you pause. But you sure do love dragging out dead and wounded children and parading them before the cameras. To you, they are nothing but cannon fodder. Have you noticed that the West isn't reacting quite the way you expected? And that every country that matters has simply said that Israel has a right to defend itself, and that defense includes taking out terrorist leadership and destroying weapons caches. So the dead baby ploy no longer sells in the West. People understand that if you put missile launchers in a populated area, there will be civilian casualties -- and that includes babies. People also understand that Israel is not to blame if the ersatz "Palestinians" deliberately endanger their children. Now that dead babies no longer seem to evoke much sympathy in the West, whatever will the ersatz "Palestinians" come up with next in their tired, old -- and now futile -- "poor, poor, pitiful me" routine? Shame on you all.

B"H Why is it that no one is talking about the failure of "land for peace" in general and the error of the Gaza disengagement seven years ago in particular?

First, you are not Habib, not even Suleimnan. Second, the people of Palestine during the Canaanite age worshiped the Sun, idols, etc... Their faith evolved since then into Monotheism following a number of prophets. The Jewish religion was so-called during the Roman empire because it spread our of Judea. The word Jews itself never appears in the Torah. The people who lived in Judea prior to Christ are the same people now who are practicing Christianity and Islam. Some are still practicing some pre-Christ religions like the Samaritans of Nablus. Just because the majority of the People of Palestine are not practicing "Judaism" anymore does not preclude their ancestral relation to this land. Just because the Zionists are practicing Judaism, does not prove their ancestral tie to this land to the same extent a Muslims in Indonesia has his ancestry in Mecca, or a Christian in Finland has ancestry to the Galilee. The Quran you refer to mentions how scores of the Children of Israel believed in Jesus: See Quran 61:14 I do not want to talk about DNA which also shows the continuity of the Palestinian people in their ancestral land.

It is an unimaginable tragedy to lose one's children. I will never forget that horrific episode which was broadcasted live on Israeli television a number of years ago. I honestly don't know how one can go on in life after such a loss (and losing his wife due to illness as well.) But he does. And he devotes it to peace. There are always two sides to a story. I don't think there are many enlightened (and I emphasize that word) people who think violence is an answer. Susan

i am generally not in favour of a ground war unless its the only way to achieve clear objectives and security as soldiers will no doubt be killed. At the same time if we are not going to achieve those goals from the air and all we are going to get is a half hearted ceasefire which will last maybe 6 months then we must go with the ground option. We must not let Obama, the UN, EU or anybody else stop us from doing whats best for Israeli security and we must send Hillary Clinton home with a clear message all options are open. If it means Israel's image will be damaged or some of the civilian human shields Hamas use get killed then so be it. i would kill 1000 arabs if it would save the life of just 1 Israeli. I just hope Bbi makes the right call and he should remember if he gets this wrong it will probably cost him the election. He must do whats best for the country and what the public want.

Abu Eleish is speaking with the most reasonable language you ever imagine. If you put yourself in his shoes, i would expect your language 180 degree different than his. If you were through his pain, you would ask Israel to wipe Gaza from the map, not talk about love and hatred. PLO has been negotiating before HAMAS, what was the outcome of the talks, your leaders are giving us lip services and they do their job behind our back. True leadership is the one that takes hard and painful decisions to achieve peace NOT the one that negotiate in one hand and assassinate, build settlements and destroy houses on the other hand. Lila Tova

Because of people like you, Zionism will pay a heavy price. Basically, sooner or later, you will loose everything, and go back to Germany and Russia

No one would fault you if you did hate us. You are right, the sides aren't equal. But we are not really free either. We don't want to send our sons to fight and kill and die in wars. We would love to be able to travel freely to Gaza (which we did at one time), to Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan with no fear. We are retaliating, a cruel fact, but the root of the problem does not lie with us. Jews do not have a history of being a warring people, at least not in the last 4000 years. Had an olive branch been extended when refugees were escaping from Europe, and if an olive branch would be extended tomorrow, all of us would be free. Everything would change. I cannot believe we would stubbornly say "no".

You're correct...the burial costs for thousands of Palestinians will be very high....But you're worh it!

You are killing your own children.

ill believe it when i see it

Stop the rockets and you will have peace. If a stable peace continues then most restrictions will be lifted. It really is that simple. If not, then as horrible as it is the full might of the IDF will do it for you. hamas is not a partner for peace, they never will be.

I know, you have to be careful what you say, but you can slander the Israeli government with impunity.

Let'sstop the suffering by everybody. Paying "Palestinians' to leave our land forever is not only in Israel's best interest. It is the moral thing to do. On top of it all. most "Palestinians" want to leave. Let's draw up concrete plans based on $200,000 per "Palestinian" family to leave forever.

#45. This tiny land has belonged to Jews for more than 3,500 years and it is "Palestinian" poseurs who will leave. Wise up! Your leaders have been lying to you for generations. Start packing your bags.

Therefore they do not care about the consequences of bombing Israeli civilians. How can you blame Israel? Who broke all previous ceasefires? Gaza shares a border with their "brothers" in Egypt. Egypt can support Gaza in any lifestyle it wants. Israel does not occupy Gaza, but has the right to seal its border. Stop using "occupier" as an excuse for war crimes!

Balfour's declaration, which won global votes in 1922, was written 15 years prior to the major influx of illegal Arab economic immigrants who claim to be "Palestinians" today. And according to Ottoman Land records (Taba) and British records, it turns out very few of you Arabs even owned your homes (2.4% of Israel+Jordan) was in private Arab hands. When Israel was given independence, the Israelis - now Jews from all over the world including Arab lands - sought equality for all citizens and asked Arabs to stay and build the State together. YOU were equally given this choice, a choice for a new governance and State but not to lose your homes or private property. You chose war, you chose genocide, you chose to run without ever seeing a soldier. You can live in peace with Israel just as we have tried to live in peace with "Palestinians" and just as we live in peace, even cold peace, with many other Arabs in the region. If you're only focus is on killing Jews and demanding homes which you never really owned, in a State you despise, then you'll commit yourselves and your future generations to constant war and bad futures. But don't expect us to wait for you as you devolve and self-destruct. We have productive lives to lead and will protect ourselves.

Hamas has not and still swears to Israel's destruction and its people. The Likud has never said such things, and exists in a democracy where such an extreme action wouldn't be able to succeed anyway. You're hatred and violence started in 1919, your terrorism began recently in 2000 when Barak (Labor) was in office), not when Bibi took office.

They've enjoyed peace and cooperation the entire time since they signed peace with Israel. Same with Egypt. It seems the only ones pushing force against Israel is you "Palestinians" and that doesn't seem to be working so well.

In order to love his children he needs to be filled with rage and revenge? Is that what a good father teachers their kids, how to perpetuate violence and racism? If so - kudos to this doctor who was able to think above and beyond the primitive Arab thinking and remove himself and his family from the cycle of violence in order to bring hope and better education of life to his children. But then again, he already had this characteristic when he worked with Israelis in the Israeli hospital, instead of trying to blow it up like his brethren.

When you can internalize that fact, come back and we'll be happy to speak to you.