Talking to your enemy is a lovely platitude that presumes your enemy will not immediately kill you and silence your voice. Mother Theresa could say that because she had, at some level, armed protection and civil order to keep the wolves at bay. Anyone who hasn’t noticed that Hamas, Hezbollah, and their ilk fall into that category of functionally deaf, homicidal enemies, hasn’t been paying attention for the last 40 or so years. Time to wake up.

This brings me to the last point–the public and most media is so “news” obsessed they have no concept of tactical vs. strategic. I have no crystal ball, but I would wager that, much like the strategic choice of the U.S. to occupy Iraq (despite the thin, veil of justifications given, it was clearly a strategic decision for position in the region with nothing really to do with WMDs or bad old boogie-man Saddam), Israel’s choice to put its foot down on Gaza and Hamas now is a means to draw the pan-islamic terrorist queen bee, Iran out of her nest before she’s really ready for a conflict and before the command of U.S. forces shifts to the inexperienced and some would say down-right weak Obama. The islamists are, at bottom, fools–watch them fall for it, just like they did in Iraq.

My prayers are with all people of good will. BTW, Lisa, when will you post on your own blog–enough with the permanent Obama post.

You should be feeling pretty stupid having devoted so much time trying to dialogue with them.

“No-one will dare to say, quite simply, that a conventional army cannot win in asymmetric warfare.”
False. How many times we will hear this from the usual defeatists?

“What can be done? I think something imaginative and unprecedented: negotiations.”
Yes, why not. Lets discuss the terms of our surrender with an organization that in his charter says that it wants to kill all Jews.

i believe that this is a “vote attracting” operation, the attack right before the voting period… Kadima lost a lot of ground against the Likud lately… I hope that these attacks against Hamas wont turn the next Palestinian votes toward a more Islamic more extremist party like the d’Jihadist. The difference? The Hamas is primarily a Nationalist movement (that’s why it’s hated by the rest of the Arab world) and with high values for it’s predominant religion, Islam, and D’jihad on the other side, do not see any difference between Irak, Afghanistan, Tchetchenia, Bosnia, Sudan or Palestine- all having the same common problem: Muslims attacked or oppressed by non Muslim countries or people (militarily or not). The Palestinian population lost all their hopes for an end to the Israeli occupation through Fatah. Therefore, they voted for a party that showed more teeth that Fatah, Hamas. Isn’t that Democracy? Again, the Palestinian population is composed by Muslims and Christians both very moderately religious. Let’s wait and see what President Obama has to say about this.

The problem with the state of Israel is that it wants to have all the spoils of the war but without paying any price:
Why do you think Israel lost the war in Leb?

This time the israeli people must understand that there’s no victory without a price..now that they’re not paying everyone supports IDF but when the time comes to earn that victory with perseverance and faith then the fate of this operation will be decided.

My opinion is to conduct the military operation as fast as possible, surgically if possible, then return to the blockade for as long as it takes the palestinians in Gaza to understand that Hamas will bring them nothing but death.

I love it when people posit that “negotiations will be viewed as a weakness on the Arab side” (a conclusion stemming, I’m sure, from their deep inside knowledge of the Arab psyche, as they watched Lawrence of Arabia twice in a row) and conclude that “therefore Israel has to strike”.

Late 80s/early 90s, Israel still viewed Fatah as a terrorist faction but nevertheless conducted secret negotiations, the foundations of the Oslo agreements. There is always a way for negotiations. They are never impossible. Saying they are is just looking for an excuse for military action.

Another point is: Israel wasn’t sitting idly in the past years, counting flying rockets. The blockade imposed on Gaza, everyone seems to forget, is also a severely hostile action.

And, Netta Granit, I thank you for your “When the world realizes that Israel is pro peace and not against it, the problem will be solved.”. You had me laughing so, so hard!

Sixty years of listening to the extremist hawks on both sides has not produced results, it is time to listen to moderate and sensible people.

When there is justness, peace will come.

It is always good to read intelligent writings. The writings that seek solutions and not spew venom of hatred, annhilation of the other or denial. You have put all the cards on the table.

Justice is achieveable that will birth peace, we need more sensible people on Israel and Palestine side.

You touched a major point that I have been writing about; Security to Israelis comes when they are comfortable dropping all the guards and caution, and as long as they are not just, it will not come. Hope to the Palestinians comes when they can reign in the leadership from useless rhetoric of annihilation of Israel - neither leadership is supported by a calm and thoughtful public on either side.

Please take a read at the following two pieces:
http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/Gaza.Solutions.asp

http://peaceforisrael.blogspot.com/2007/11/peace-in-israel-palestine.html

May all of us fight for Justice, not for my people, not for your people, but for all people. Then peace is automatic.

Mike ghouse
http://www.foundationforpluralism.com
http://www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
http://www.MikeGhouse.net