Moshe Arens

We seem to be on the point of wasting the fruits of what could be a decisive victory over the forces of terror on our doorstep. That would be a grave mistake.

Hamas cannot be deterred; as the organization is struck, its support among the local population grows.

The IDF should have been given the task of destroying Hamas' rocket capability and accomplishing that task within a short time, something that the IDF easily had the ability to do.

Of the many ways to stop the rockets that might come to mind, almost all have either been tried or else suggested and rejected.

It is the statesman's job not only to think of the moment but also to attempt to look forward before making a decision.

Jewish access to the Cave of the Patriarchs is dependent on the presence of the settlers in the Hebron area. This will probably be true in future years as well, regardless of any agreements that might be reached with the Palestinians or the Jordanians.

Unless we restore the two large parties to their central role on the political scene, we are likely to experience growing political instability.

Bush's Iraq operation will turn out to have been an event of great historic significance. That more than anything else will determine his place in history.

Do our politicians have the courage to admit they made a mistake by building the security barrier?

The present government cannot be trusted to deal adequately with the great challenges facing the nation.

If a sense of alienation spreads among the national religious camp, it can do inestimable damage to the state's ability to meet the dangers and challenges facing it.

So what are the Likud positions on the central issues facing Israel today? The Likud should be emphatic in maintaining the positions it has taken during its time in opposition.

What do we have to look forward to now that Ben-Gurion's and Begin's determination to protect Israel's civilian population seems to have been abandoned?

For some years now, most Israeli politicians have become like horses with blinders: They can only look straight ahead. They seem to have lost their peripheral vision.

A Kadima spokesmen would no doubt refer to the upcoming primary as a festival of democracy, but in actuality it is no more than a farce of democracy.

Those who believe that Jerusalem should not be divided, and mean by that that the Arab neighborhoods should not be separated from the city, should be the first to insist that an active policy be adopted by the government and the municipality to improve the lot of local Arab residents.

In the years of the Olmert government the fortunes of Hezbollah and Hamas have improved as a result of mistakes made by Israel.

Do you remember the very original management theory proposed by the Olmert government after the Second Lebanon war?

Where are all the breast-beating politicians who were competing over the price Israel must be prepared to pay to bring home abducted Israeli soldiers, alive or dead?

The impression given by the government that agreeing to a cease-fire with the terrorists was part and parcel of a deal for the release of Shalit was nothing less than a cheap political manipulation.

One might have expected that in the twilight days of his premiership Ehud Olmert would be making an effort to try to improve somewhat the miserable record he leaves behind him. A record of more than two years of incompetence and political manipulations, at the expense of the people of Israel.

The declarations from our leadership about the urgent need for the United States to act to avert the Iranian nuclear threat are downright harmful, especially when they are made in the U.S.

Maybe our chief of staff needs to be reminded of what he said shortly after he assumed his present position: 'In the next war, there will be no doubt about who won.'