<I'm with Buck--the Israelis have every right to go in and dig out the terrorists like we did in Afghanistan. Of course, for them it's a lot harder picking out the bad guys from the good guys, and I don't know if military action is the way to go as opposed to like, covert assassination squads.

Hi Tom,

We disagree on this one - (perhaps Publius can now be your Manchurian Candidate ;-)

Israel has a right to go after terrorists but this situation is apples and oranges.

We never taunt muslims like Sharon did, and we certainly don't pick off rock throwing, brain-dead kids in some vengeful display of our perceived superiority. When terrorists destroyed the world trade center and part of the Pentagon - that is and was a significantly higher magnitude of damage than blowing up a coffehouse or a marketplace, with a much higher casualty count and economic loss.

We also sought out a coalition to persuade the world what we are doing is the right thing.

Sharon is a loose cannon. He gives hardliners a bad name and is the sort of reactionary the GOP here in the US is likened unto.

Sharon did not consult world leaders - he doesn't give a rat's rump about the US interests or anything else. He is also forgetting that Israel is not the USA. Israel is not geographically isolated by oceans, does not have the capability to survive a local WOMD deployment and it's enemies are not living back in 1967. Kicking the Palestinian's behinds is not a problem but - when the united forces of the Arab world start to respond - Israel is not the king of the hill it used to be. A surprise biological missile attack from Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Iraq can easily take out a lot of the Israel infrastructure.

We have sold high-tech planes to Saudi Arabia and although we have sold much, much more to the Israelis - their tactical position is indefensible from the post-1967 technologies. A far cry from the Yom Kippur war.

Israel must be more conservative to survive - unless it expects big brother USA to pull it's rump out the fire they roast for themselves, when the region finally boils over - something Sharon is seemingly doing everything in his power to make manifest.


Bush is stuck with an Israel-Palestine policy that doesn't make a lot of sense anymore. We have to officially condemn Israel for doing exactly what we just did, and we also have to officially treat Arafat like a human being instead of a thug. Aren't there any moderate Palestinians?

Sharon is a thug too though. If it were anyone else besides him - this escapade would have a lot more credibility. But anyone else would not be in this mess, and would use tactical, surgical strikes against defined targets - not the heavy iron hand of the tyrant.

This "exactly what we just did" is the way Israeli PR is selling it - but it's just not true. We gathered evidence patiently....then we went after one man - Bin Laden - and his terrorist organization. We went to war against the Taleban when they refused to hand him over. We aligned a coalition of nations and then attacked caves and hide-outs of the terrorists.

We kill combatants and do not target innocent civilians - we do not kill unarmed people - but we take them prisoner.


This whole "peace process" thing is bullshit. How many agreements have already been signed? How many have been kept? The hardline Palestinians--and they're running the show right now--want Israel extinct. Israel prefers not to be. This will not end until one or the other is utterly beaten, and Israel has the bigger guns. Not a popular view, but reality.



Again, this is not 1967. One nuclear suitcase and Israel is extinct.
Keep p--sing off Mubarek and King Fahad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud...and they will not even make cursory attempts at holding back the purse strings which can finance endless terrorist attacks and purchase WOMD. Israel's actions are making life more dangerous for the US - and our troops abroad, turning our efforts in Afghanistan into part of a greater war on Muslims. This may not be the case - but because of Sharon's heavy hand - that is how it will be perceived by tens of millions of muslims.

Israel is like a little kid, with a heavyweight boxer brother. The kid gets into petty fights, spouts off at the mouth and acts superior to everyone else. The only thing that keeps that scrawny, neurotic kid from getting his face pushed in - is that they know his big brother would come after them.

I, for one, am tired of having to take sides in an ages-old religious pi--ing contest, and spend tax dollars to defend religious idiots. If they want to defend themselves against the Arabs - be my guest. But don't expect me to be happy when a sizable portion of our tax revenues goes to fund their superiority neuroses. Fairness would demand we send checks to Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists and every other nation which holds an official religious state-creed.
Reparations for WWII are LONG ago paid in full.

The cold war is over and Israel is no longer essential to our Mid-east security, and contrary to popular Israeli opinion - they do not run interference for the US.

The Muslim beef is with Jews - not Americans. America did not even exist when the Koran was written. By writing enormous checks and sending discount rate munitions, we lose that neutral position, and easily can be painted as willing pawns and defenders of Israel.

This is not a validation or defense of the fundamentalists, Arafat or any claims the Palestinians have to a homeland - far from it. Both sides are ignorant and fanatical. The Palestinians have a below pathetic educational system, an economy worth less than a boondocks California county and no bright future even dimly on the horizon. Ignorance is well at home in these conditions. But what is the Israeli's excuse?

If there was such thing as a God - it would surely be showing its hatred and loathing for both these peoples by putting them in such close proximity - and by making them insane enough to believe some spot of dirt was 'holy' and then laugh as they blow their heads off and kill eachother in a sea of blood that lasts for millenia, to try and possess this worthless dirt.

Yes all these folks are chosen - chosen to live in misery and cursed for eternity, due to their own ignorance.

Ignorance of this magnitude was barely excusable in the dark ages - but what excuse do modern men have - besides being even bigger "dolts" and "maroons" than their ancestors were?

Wanting to wash my hands of the whole mess,

SDAI-Tech1