Only Israel is expected to absorb attack after attack and do nothing. Israel's response is "disproportionate" - in that any other nation in Israel's position would have already flattened the Palis long ago.

Also, the sheer idiocy of the comments is insane. Israel pulled out of Gaza. Israel did not interfere with the elections. Israel did not interfere when Hamas took over. Israel left them with all sorts of infrastructure that the Palis then destroyed.

But you are correct that Israel should completely pull out. That would mean no more supplying those animals with food, water, sewage treatment or electricity. The Palis have the lowest infant mortality rate of any Arabs in the mideast because they get access to Israeli medicine. Israel should keep them out of their hospitals too. Perhaps the Palis can build those things in their "state" rather than rockets. Perhaps they can study things like medicine and agriculture and engineering rather than killing and murder.

The palis get more international aid per capita than any other group of people on Earth. Look what they have to show for it.

I am utterly appalled by this article. The Arabs start war after war. The Arabs attack (or try to attack) everyday. The Arabs reject all offers of peace. The Arabs elect Hamas, which has sworn to make war on and destroy Israel. The Arabs launch rockets - that is an act of war you idiots - and you blame Israel.

It is high time Israel really gives them something to cry about and takes off the gloves. It is hight time, that when the Hamasnicks throw a parade, Israel takes the gift of a coupple of thousand irregular troops in one place at one time and hits them with napalm. It is high time that Israel destroys their munitions bunkers - even if they are placed in mosques. It is high time that Israel hunts down and kills the Hamas leadership. It is high time that the Palis learn that there is such a thing as personal responsibility. If you elect a genocidal terrorist organization, then the social contract works both ways and you take the consequences of the war they start. There will be no peace from half measures and there will be no peace when terrorist barbarians are whitewashed into some kind of hero.

I really don't care if you people here hate Jews. I really don't care if you think you are clever or if you think that your impotent whining will do anything to further the evil causes and the evil regimes you champion. There will come a day when Hamas and the Palis commit one atrocity too many, and then Israel will take off the gloves and do what the US or Britian or China or Russia would do in this situation.

As to the rest of you lefty pricks that want to say that Israel is not Jewish land, it was always Jewish land - just as much as Dublin is Irish. So cut the crap.

Finally, when the day comes that Israel has been pushed too far, and they take proper firm action, know that you left wing idiots helped to bring it because you helped to enable and embolden the terrorists. When that day comes, many more will die than if the world had been honest.

How about real fairness?

Only Israel is expected to absorb attack after attack and do nothing. Israel's response is "disproportionate" - in that any other nation in Israel's position would have already flattened the Palis long ago.

Also, the sheer idiocy of the comments is insane. Israel pulled out of Gaza. Israel did not interfere with the elections. Israel did not interfere when Hamas took over. Israel left them with all sorts of infrastructure that the Palis then destroyed.

But you are correct that Israel should completely pull out. That would mean no more supplying those animals with food, water, sewage treatment or electricity. The Palis have the lowest infant mortality rate of any Arabs in the mideast because they get access to Israeli medicine. Israel should keep them out of their hospitals too. Perhaps the Palis can build those things in their "state" rather than rockets. Perhaps they can study things like medicine and agriculture and engineering rather than killing and murder.

The palis get more international aid per capita than any other group of people on Earth. Look what they have to show for it.

I am utterly appalled by this article. The Arabs start war after war. The Arabs attack (or try to attack) everyday. The Arabs reject all offers of peace. The Arabs elect Hamas, which has sworn to make war on and destroy Israel. The Arabs launch rockets - that is an act of war you idiots - and you blame Israel.

It is high time Israel really gives them something to cry about and takes off the gloves. It is hight time, that when the Hamasnicks throw a parade, Israel takes the gift of a coupple of thousand irregular troops in one place at one time and hits them with napalm. It is high time that Israel destroys their munitions bunkers - even if they are placed in mosques. It is high time that Israel hunts down and kills the Hamas leadership. It is high time that the Palis learn that there is such a thing as personal responsibility. If you elect a genocidal terrorist organization, then the social contract works both ways and you take the consequences of the war they start. There will be no peace from half measures and there will be no peace when terrorist barbarians are whitewashed into some kind of hero.

I really don't care if you people here hate Jews. I really don't care if you think you are clever or if you think that your impotent whining will do anything to further the evil causes and the evil regimes you champion. There will come a day when Hamas and the Palis commit one atrocity too many, and then Israel will take off the gloves and do what the US or Britian or China or Russia would do in this situation.

As to the rest of you lefty pricks that want to say that Israel is not Jewish land, it was always Jewish land - just as much as Dublin is Irish. So cut the crap.

Finally, when the day comes that Israel has been pushed too far, and they take proper firm action, know that you left wing idiots helped to bring it because you helped to enable and embolden the terrorists. When that day comes, many more will die than if the world had been honest.

A small correction, Mr. Sher: the Saudi peace proposals were first announced in spring 2002, not, as you claim, in 2001. Indeed, it was not unreasonable to assume that they were initially more of a PR damage control exercise after 9/11. However, I would agree that things have moved on (and have been moved on by Iran...), so when the Saudi initiative was relaunched last year, it was certainly meant seriously.

However, I do also see a problem with the argument you seem to offer, i.e. give the Palestinians a state, and then peace will follow. As an Israeli I would ask you: on the basis of what should I believe this? And whatever happened to the idea of "land for peace"??? Do you think there is any chance that a Palestinian state established tomorrow would not be a failed state from day one? Do you think it is OK for Hamas (and Fatah, indeed) to keep all sorts of militias and private armies?
In short, I'm afraid it's easy to write a few conciliatory sounding paragraphs about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if you avoid all the hard question.

Dear Mr. Sher,
I don't know why the region expects fairness from the U.S or the U.N when it comes to Israel because if history has taught us anything it's that the US definately is not willing to play hardball with their most valued partner in the Middle East.

In addition, most Middle Eastern regimes rely on the United States to keep themselves ensconed on their thrones - and therein lies the problem. If they talk about Palestine too loudly, the Americans know it's for the consumption of their local constituents.

Despite their wealth, huge oil reserves, and the clout which should accompany the two the players in the region have failed the Palestinians for the better part of the last three decades.

Best Wishes,
Shakir Husain

You arabs are really special!

Dont you ever understand that Israel does NOT want peace! They want Erez Israel and all the Palestinians out.

Why do you tolerate the settlements? Why dont you ask for the UNILATERAL retreat of all settlers behind Israels borders BEFORE you are ready to talk peace? There is NO excuse for these settlements. They ars in blattant violation of the Geneva Convention, the human rights convention, the Balfour Declaration and of countless UN resolutions.

That's why the Palestinians and their allies have to stick to this point alone! Nothing else - because Israel will otherwise ALWAYS have an excuse not to talk. They dont want to talk to Hamas! Hamas and also Hizboullah and al Quaida and fanatical Islamists as a whole didn't even exist for more than a decade after Israel started its criminal, racis, facist civil(!) settlements (innocent women and children sent into the highly dangerous west bank ...! understand?)
Why didn't Israel talk to the Palestinians then???? Because they dont want, never ever under any pretext!

Palestinians have the absolute right to defend themselves with all means - one rocket for every criminal settler, Israels state-terrorists.

You, the heroic innocent Palestinians and Arabs have to tell Israel that YOU dont talk peace with them unless they have abandoned UNCONDITIONALLY all settlements. YOU decide NOT criminal. terrorist Israel.

Dont discuss the bible, the refugees, Jerusalem, etc. This hasn't led anywhere and will not lead anywhere.
Just talk settlemets and ONLY settlements. Tell them (as did Bin Laden!), that 9/11 was the revenge for the settlements.

And, for Gods sake, stop blaming Hamas. Hamas is the salvation of the Palestinian people.

Given that Hamas is unwilling to have peace talks with Israel, and is only willing, at most, to have a ceasefire until they decide whether they ever want to discuss peace at all, during which time they will prepare to destroy Israel, why should Israel be expected to deal with Hamas as though this was not the case?

Maybe a proportionate response would be for Israel lob a few thousand unguided missile into the densely populated Gaza strip. The add a few guided, more powerful rockets into the cities. It would be a response in kind towards the provocation There would be no attempt to avoid civilian populations; no targeting of the terrorists, just thousands of rockets.

RK says:

"....there is a clear difference between the case where one's aim is to kill as many civilians as possible and the other where one avoids killing as many possible."

American Observer replies:

You are right, RK -- well said.

"whether they be the overkill of Israeli forces or the madness of suicide bombers, are wrong."

What a left wing bunch of crap!

In this article, you say that "One can either sit and try to analyze who fired the first shot" as if such a thing is trivial and unimportant. This line of thinking only leads to the conclusion that one can start a fight and then claim that he was not responsible for the fight and then blame the other side for fighting back. If Israel were to carry out another operation such as the one that it did recently in a week from now if hypothetically there were no further rocket attacks in the meantime, I think that most people would disagree with you and say that both operations are not equivalent.

You also argue that "Images of Israeli tanks and missiles attacking residential buildings in Gaza are as horrifying as seeing Hamas rocket attacks killing Israeli civilians." While I agree with you that killing innocent civilians is unacceptable, there is a clear difference between the case where one's aim is to kill as many civilians as possible and the other where one avoids killing as many possible.