Analysis || Reckless Kerry risks causing escalation

Apparently Shavit is not aware of Ron Dermer. Israel's ambassador to America, statement that the criticism of John Kerry is not warranted emphasizing that he speaks for the Prime Minister.

Everywhere else he would be regarded as what he really is: a warmongering apologist for a ultra-nationalist regime. But in Israel that makes him a "moderate". Go figure, heh?

If he was as moderate and wise as Mr. Shavit suggests, the Kerry peace negotiations would have resulted in an agreement. Then the tension in Gaza would have been taken out and this whole inhumane situation would not have occurred.

Obama and Kerry should know by now that Israel will ignore all pleas for mercy unless there are consequences. Obama needs to support UN investigations into Israeli war crimes. Obama needs to cut aid to Israel significantly. Obama needs to support economic sanctions against Israel.

Sureky the aim should be to bolster te moderates (like Abbas and Jordan) and weaken the extremists (like Hamas, Erdogan and Qatar).

"The moderate wing in the Israeli security cabinet is led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. These two territorialist hawks are operational doves" If Bibi is the moderate wing, then Israel will indeed wish for the reputation that apartheid South Africa once had. Now Haaretz itself, having been drained of worldly and insightful voices, is left with crustied (yet still young), objectively center-right isolationists, as the country veers in an "all-in" on alienating the rest of the world. It's almost as if at a time he most sane voices are leaving the country, they are also leaving this paper.

"By the time the shelling stops and this war is declared over, Israel will pray and wish that it could buy the kind of reputation that apartheid South Africa once had." Spot on remark, Bill.

It is so pathetic, the way Israeli columnists blame everything in this war--not on the thugs and brutes serving in the current Israeli government--but on the American government. It's all their fault. Shavit and Shalev, normally the best analysts writing for Ha'aretz, sometimes see things through a prism that just isn't there. Earlier, for instance, Shavit even blamed Barack Obama for "losing" Egypt, as if the great American father could have waved his hand and kept the raging mobs off of Tahir square. Now both Shavit and Shalev are spitting mad at John Kerry. While Israelis are slaughtering hundreds upon hundreds of children in Gaza, wounding thousands and destroying infrastructure and homes, all blame lies squarely with John Kerry and Barack Obama. This is laughable by any standard. By the time the shelling stops and this war is declared over, Israel will pray and wish that it could buy the kind of reputation that apartheid South Africa once had. Israel's shame is near total. Two quotes: from Ari Shavit we read: "If Israel is forced to ultimately undertake an expanded ground operation in which dozens of young Israelis and hundreds of Palestinian civilians could lose their lives, it would be appropriate to name the offensive after the person who caused it: John Kerry." From Chemi Shalev we read: "increasingly, Kerry comes across as a hapless nebekh, which many Americans pronounce as nebbish because, as Leo Rosten says, they don’t know how to clear their throats." I feel so sorry for you.

With an article like this one ,where are the real pacifists in Israel,where ?

interested to read what you have to say...may or may not be in agreement nevertheless

Yes, it hurts the Gazans terribly to chop off their snake's head, but the disease Hamas is has to be cut off once and for all, even if the world sympathizes with the aggressor and delegitimizes Israel for defending herself against the Hamas dragon. Once this terrorizing beast has been crushed and given a deadly blow, a relative calm will follow and Israel can concentrate on the other terrorist org.s threatening her existence. There must be no mercy, that is cease fire, to Hamas. Else this cycle of warring will never end. That is most frustrating and enerving. So finish off Hamas at one blow FOR GOOD, so that Bilderberg politicians like Kerry too won't have an opportunity to sceam havoc (like giving Hamas a serious role and let it keep its rockets! Shocking!) bc it serves the USA's self-interests. Keep this on mind Israel: Kerry does politics that serves *only* the Bilderbergers' goals! So don't be pulled by the leg! THINK INDEPENDENTLY, Israel, and stop allowing the USA to destroy you more she already has been doing to you since 1977! Israel's existence namely does not serve the USA's self-interests nor the Bilderbergers' goals of the NWO! The USA contributes to complicating already chaotic situations in order to have Israel destroyed by the evil forces, she fortifies, like here: Hamas.

Yes, it hurts the Gazans terribly to chop off their snake's head, but the disease Hamas is has to be cut off once and for all, even if the world sympathizes with the aggressor and delegitimizes Israel for defending herself against the Hamas dragon. Once this terrorizing beast has been crushed and given a deadly blow, a relative calm will follow and Israel can concentrate on the other terrorist org.s threatening her existence. There must be no mercy, that is cease fire, to Hamas. Else this cycle of warring will never end. That is most frustrating and enerving. So finish off Hamas at one blow FOR GOOD, so that Bilderberg politicians like Kerry too won't have an opportunity to sceam havoc (like giving Hamas a serious role and let it keep its rockets! Shocking!) bc it serves the USA's self-interests. Keep this on mind Israel: Kerry does politics that serves *only* the Bilderbergers' goals! So don't be pulled by the leg! THINK INDEPENDENTLY, Israel, and stop allowing the USA to destroy you more she already has been doing to you since 1977! Israel's existence namely does not serve the USA's self-interests nor the Bilderbergers' goals of the NWO! The USA contributes to complicating already chaotic situations in order to have Israel destroyed by the evil forces, she fortifies, like here: Hamas.

Kerry wasn't able to overcome his disappointment and distaste for Netanyahu and seems to have acted on these feelings; or he suffers from PTSS after having seen too many pictures of dead children, there is no other reasonable explanation.

Basically, it means that everyone else is to the right of Ghengis Khan.

what do you mean, Israel is showing restraint? True, it has not yet killed all the Palestinian.

When Netanyahu and ya'alon are the sound of reason in Israel, God help us all. And Kerry is not an employee of Israel to force upon him its point of view as if this war is waged by one party and Kerry should cater to it without understanding the other party in order to prevent future wars. If Kerry adopted the Egyptian proposal, it would have just kicking the can down the road. But if more comprehensive arrangement is made to ease Gaza blockade, all will claim victory and quiet will stay much longer. So Kerry is right and this analysis is poor.

What is “reasonable cease-fire”? Is it the same thing that a “significant diplomatc victory”? Give me a break.

The US Secretary of State, absorbed in trying to save your ass, is to be blamed and vilified??? Are you kidding me??!!