Israelis know they have a wonderful prime minister. He's enjoying wide support. Even the moving of the cheese, where he's willing to remove 7,000 settlers from Gaza, is not a bad idea.


I ignore the piggybacking the EU or the UN comes up with. This move takes people out of harm's way. While I think the military will stay in place.


What changes is defending the ground where a few settlements take up a major portion of the Israeli military budget. It's not a capitulation. And, it does show that this prime minister wants to work with Washington. This was not always the case.

IN spite of what just happened in Spain, I think we're in a good position. I think the war on terror will continue. And, Sharon's hands aren't tied. (Yes, he learned something from the Ashdod murder spree carried out by two exploding 17 year old arabs.) But if you want your security services to be in top form, you credit them with being able to learn from this "unexpected" development.

I'm sorry, but Israel has been stuck with this quicksand for 30 years without much improvement.

It's time for Israel to get the f*ck out of Gaza and the West bank. The Palestinian conflict is the number one thorniest issue the US has in the Middle East and for all of our support for Israel (billions and billion of dollar and steadfast moral support), they haven't been able to return the favour to us by sorting this mess.

So all they have to do is leave and Hamas and JI will forget the whole thing. Right.

Um, what about that little stated goal of destroying the Jewish State? They never said they would pull that one if Israel left Gaza and WB.

And BTW, is it not customary for the aggressors to lose land when they pick a fight and lose?

"And BTW, is it not customary for the aggressors to lose land when they pick a fight and lose"

Bah Jeff, Israel is not annexing West Bank and Gaza. Its populace is not Israel citizen.

We won the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we do not take land except for our fallen.

And the issue here is not Hamas and JI. We are talking about the freedom of 6 million people here. The US went to Iraq and trumpeted the sound of freedom from 8 time zones away and here, a country we have supported for years, through thick and thin, occupying for 30 or so years.

Look at what happen to Iraq. Beside the Al-Qaedas, resistance etc, we are not staying. We are leaving Iraq to Iraqi to govern. We are not using the same excuse that the current Israel government (LOOK TERORIST ATTACK) as a reason to stay.

Dody,

I think a country that is fighting for its very existence has a right to demand a little more than a death wish from its enemies before returning their land to them. Particularly when they live right next door.

I agree with your thoughts on how WE handle such situations, but the Arabs have had many many years and opportunities to make peace with Israel and renounce their death wish against her. They would have gotten their land back, but as they say, they've "never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity".

They want Israel dead. Period. Land or no land.

Jeff,

Do you think Palestine can actually destroy Israel? C'mon, they survived Independence War, Six Days war and Yom Kippur War (and countless others)

Israel is not occupying Syria, Saudia Arabi, Syria (etc, etc), a much bigger and powerful enemies.

What threat can Palestine bring to if Israel actually build a mine, armed to the teeth border? Learn it from South Korea.

And Palestinian people has never had their own country called Palestine. Never. They are the Kurdish of the Arabs.

Israel is letting the terrorist take over the initiative. Planned meeting, terorist attack, meeting cancelled. Repeat.

Sorry, that two strips of land is not worth it. It demeans and oppress 6 million people, it gives US a real bad name and it does no good to Israel.

And which country actually dare to attack Israel now?

Dody, Jordan is already 100% Jew-free and has been since 1948.

Baghdad was 20% Jewish then, but they drove out their Jews just as every Arab country did.. The city of Hebron, in the West Bank, had been majority Jewish since the time of Christ, but is so no longer.

I don't understand why Gaza and the West Bank must also be Jew-free.

However, if the Israelis renounce those areas, I'm nopt going to argue with them...

However, what happens when they abandon Gaza and Hamas takes over, to run it anyway they want, to do God knows what there? Things could be much worse in Israel than they are now.

Not to mention the poor souls who'll have to live under thosemurderous thugs.

uh Gabriel,

First, Gabriel, who's to say all things in Palestine nice happy and jolly under Israel occupation?

Two, if you support the will of Iraqis to be free of Saddam's tyranny, why can't you respond the voice of Palestinian to be free of Israel occupation?

Three, the occupation of Palestine goes against the spirit of tikkun olam.

Four, Israel is in the position of power here and it can lead and take initiative. We are not talking about the days of Independence War here.

Five, the refusal of other Arab countries to refuse Jews as residents are abhhorrent, but two wrongs doesn't make a right.

6) I don't see Iraqi Citizens committing Terrorist Sucide Bombings and gunning down innocent men, women, babies, old men and women in the 'pursuit' of trying to remove Saddam from power.

Back in those days they were fighting against Saddam's controlled military. The only one comitting atrocious, terrorist acts, was Saddam who gassed the Kurds.

Knowing that... Why do you attack Israeli occupation? You can't equate that to the atrocities of Terrorism.

The real issue is why in the heck are Palestinians using the most disgusting, evil, acts to prove a point rather than using diplomacy?

7) Where is the proof that the Palestinians want anything from Israel other than Israel's death?

uh..

Jeff,

for point 6, if you are going to use the example of Iraq, look at what happen right now ("gunning down innocent men, women, babies, old men and women"). We just lost a couple of our fine citizens in Iraq today.

I am attacking Israel occupation because it is an occupation (and all the headache it brings to the United States). Try give me ANOTHER example of a democracy occupying another land !!

And no, I don't support the Palestinian terrorism either, but goddamn, Israel must get out of Palestine. It's been 30 or so years. Time out.

for point 7, what business Israel has on Gaza and WestBank ? Nothing. Give me reasons that justify continuation of occupation of Palestine.

Take a look at this. The life of 6,500,000 people in Israel and 4,500,000 people in Palestine are at stake here. And if you look, both people are being hijacked by terorism, for which Israel (a much much stronger party) fails to take the initiative and end it.

No white, no black just too many shades of grey.
We could do with a bit of color.
Josh

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