I think the israeli prime minister should be hauled infront of a un tribunal and persecuted like the nazi's were. Not sure but i think it was ohlmert that said he was going to strike lebanon strategically. My mother and sister were there on vacation at the time. I was born American, same with my sister, my dad is indian and my mom is lebanese. My family is similar to the UN. My fathers family consists of ALL MD's. When i say ALL i mean ALL. My moms family is poor. between the two of them the most talked about problems were the rockets palestine fired and the kidnapping that started the war again. After the israeli response, there was nothing to talk about. The response was ill measured. Instead of using special forces, they opted to blast every position they "thought" could be a stronghold. Not sure but when you are a dominant power, are you not supposed to show more restraint. Israel Knows that most of those rockets fired comes from iran. So why not go after the source instead of the ginny pigs. I dont understand. Israeli's should know that dropping bombs by aircraft into an unprotected city is like gasing millions. What makes what they did and different from what the nazi's did.

Better to be a one-term president who does the right thing than a sleazebag president who grovels to AIPAC while the Palestinian slaughter continues apace. The times they are achangin', though. Ordinary Americans are starting to see through the hypocritical Israeli propaganda machine as its blatant lies become more and more absurd. At some point, even our cowardly polticians will have to respond to a rising indignation when they discover that -lo!- not everybody in America lives in New York, Miami, and Hollywood. There are a lot more of us out here in the boonies, and we are counting more and more. Time is on our side. Netanyahu is not Israel's saviour. If he's not smart enough to change its course, he's more likely to be its death rattle.

The global recession in some ways has made all people, all over the world question assumptions. The world today is unwilling to allow status quo. This more than anything else will push Americans to settle the dispute in the Middle East. The world is today predisposed towards looking at issues through a new prism.

What hurts Israel in this matter is that Bibi's previous heavy handedness against Bill Clinton leaves him with limited plays. He can ill afford to push Barack Obama around this time. But Bibi and his foreign minister are the right people in the right place for peace. Their stewardship will lend legitimacy to the peace process. Any peace if achieved under Bibi will be lasting.

America on the other hand is strengthened by i) a President who comes from the Chicago style politics (he can eat Bibi’s lunch), ii) Public that is sick and tired of paying for its association with Israel. Moreover peace between Israel and Palestine will give Obama the ability to negotiate from a better position with the Iranians, and possibly withdraw from Iraq & Afghanistan on his terms. Unfortunately for Israel, a peace between Israel and Palestine is IN THE interest of America.

It appears peace will be achieved now or never, but who knows, the last time Israel found itself in a position where peace seemed to be the only option, we got 9/11. So who knows what is in store for us, but hopefully, Obama and the Democrats would like to go down in history as those that were responsible for bringing peace to the Middle East.

The global recession in some ways has made all people, all over the world question assumptions. The world today is unwilling to allow status quo. This more than anything else will push Americans to settle the dispute in the Middle East. The world is today predisposed towards looking at issues through a new prism.

What hurts Israel in this matter is that Bibi's previous heavy handedness against Bill Clinton leaves him with limited plays. He can ill afford to push Barack Obama around this time. But Bibi and his foreign minister are the right people in the right place for peace. Their stewardship will lend legitimacy to the peace process. Any peace if achieved under Bibi will be lasting.

America on the other hand is strengthened by i) a President who comes from the Chicago style politics (he can eat Bibi’s lunch), ii) Public that is sick and tired of paying for its association with Israel. Moreover peace between Israel and Palestine will give Obama the ability to negotiate from a better position with the Iranians, and possibly withdraw from Iraq & Afghanistan on his terms. Unfortunately for Israel, a peace between Israel and Palestine is IN THE interest of America.

It appears peace will be achieved now or never, but who knows, the last time Israel found itself in a position where peace seemed to be the only option, we got 9/11. So who knows what is in store for us, but hopefully, Obama and the Democrats would like to go down in history as those that were responsible for bringing peace to the Middle East.

There is a classic phrase that sums up the views of some of the contributors to this debate and it goes like this:

"The American government is manipulated from behind the scenes with strings pulled by the Jewish financial circles"

To make it more modern, replace Jewish with Zionist. To make it more classic, replace Jewish financial circles with Jewish bankers.

Obama has already warned Bibi not to surprise him with an Iran attack. Obama has almost 70% support of the American people. Bibi and his Jewish lobby do not stand a chance against Chicago style politics. If Israel wants to keep its Nuclear weapons they better stand down or suffer the wrath of the quickly getting impatient American people.

I love the term "Israeli colonialism". That's what the Israelis are doing, all right, operating Gaza as a colony. Exploiting the productivity of the workers and their natural resources. I forget, what was the product again? Oh, yes: Kassam rockets. The Israelis must be exploiting the Palestinian space program.

"Obama will have to decide soon whether confronting Israel is worth the risk of being a one-term president, given the proven capacity of pro-Israel groups in the U.S. to cut short an American politician's career by accusing him or her of being pro-Arab, anti-Semitic, or endangering Israel."

Clinton waited until his second term, as did Bush. Maybe Obama will do the same.

My God!

The WaPo censors are kicking out most of what's written.

Not all the numbers beside "comments" and then the number that get posted. And the ones you liked in one minute are gone the next.

But of course,the truth cannot be told about how Americans feel about Israel.

You don't think the pot will explode? Think otherwise.

Khouri,

much as I have great respect for you, I think you're incorrect on one point...

I think Americans, after Wall Street and the Iraq war, the lies, the money grubbing, the
spying and the using...Plus the savagery in Gaza
that marked us as horrormonger aiders...

are sick of affiliation with Israel. May well be that their money can run things.

But the time is short. It didn't work in Germany, it won't work in the rest of the world soon. There IS History, you know.

Khouri,

much as I have great respect for you, I think you're incorrect on one point...

I think Americans, after Wall Street and the Iraq war, the lies, the money grubbing, the
spying and the using...Plus the savagery in Gaza
that marked us as horror mongers...

are sick of affiliation with Israel. May well be that their money can run things.

But the time is short. It didn't work in Germany, it won't work in the rest of the world soon. There IS History, you know.

Let us consider some basic “facts”!
1) The world can no longer tolerate or accept the Palestinian “situation” to be unresolved.
2) Israel has done absolutely nothing to create a supportive, non-hostile environment for its continued existence in Palestine; on the contrary, Israel has done almost everything conceivable to maintain a hostile environment, presumably to justify its continuing behaviors to annex more and more land that it so covets.
3) The stated purpose of Israel was to provide a haven for the persecuted Jews of World War II. Obviously, the Israeli people have a far different objective and in fact there are few Jews in Israel that would qualify to being any of those persecuted by the Nazis.
4) There is no justification for any of the occupied territories policies, legal or otherwise, or for the continued illegal occupation of Palestine land beyond the 1967 borders. Frankly, there is no legal basis for occupying lands beyond the borders established by the 1948 UN resolutions which are the only legal basis for the existence of Israel!
5) The support of Evangelical Christians because of their belief that the Jews needed to control Jerusalem before their desired Rapture and Armageddon could happen; is waning as that whole movement becomes less politically powerful and their goals shift to new causes.
6) America is economical challenged, militarily weary, disillusioned with foreign goals and the means being used to achieve them, tired of the endless “poor us” from Israel, and ready to just walk away from the whole mess.
7) Israel has had 2 years of military debacles:
a. The senseless, needless bombing and destruction of Lebanon
b. The senseless, needless, barbaric destruction and murder in Gaza
8) The growing American awareness of the tyranny of Israel over Gaza that prevents any economic improvements, and social development, and improvement in attitudes towards the Israeli peoples.
The bottom line: Israel needs to accept a nation that is contained within 1967 borders, that provides contiguous free, unfettered land access between Gaza and the rest of the new Palestinian state. The alternative is an imposed single secular nation of Palestine, demilitarized, with rights and privileges guaranteed equally for all citizens… enforced by a UN multi-national police force.

Khouri, you are just another dishonest arab telling the world a lie as is Obama. Its not a two state solution, its a three state solution. Gaza is on the west side of Israel and the West bank is on the other side, the east side of Israel. THATS two states. Israel makes 3. Why are you lying to the world Khouri.

Isn't it about time that the neocons and Israelis be forced legally to cease to run our country. They didn't have anything to do with it becoming a place where people wanted to live, but instead started infiltrating the US after WW2. And it has been downhill since, with the Straussians, et al, corrupting all that is good. And now we have the Wall Street mess. Where has all of that money gone. Just like Madoff, it has to be somewhere. Maybe it is the same place all of that money from Social Security disappeared. I think its about time we had a confrontation with Israel. Stop sending them money and see how long they maintain the threat to our political system. Can't we just send the neocons, and the people from Gitmo, back to where they came from. At least we can tell them we have had enough of their Cheney like behavior. Like I said let's start following the money and find out just what is going on. We were promised transparency, so let's have it. And if that happens Obama will be reelected. The majority of the people know what is going on and are sick of it.

to the extent that Obama is willing to control Israel< he will gain votes

Israel is simply uncomfortable with peace, because it has never seen peace. They don't know how to handle it even if it falls from the sky and hits them on the head.

Israel is simply uncomfortable with peace, because it has never seen peace. They don't know how to handle it even if it falls from the sky and hits them on the head.

George Washington on Israel

"A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification." ~George Washington Farewell Address

"The nation which indulges toward another habitual hatred or habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interests." ~ George Washington

"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." ~ Thomas Jefferson