An open letter to Netanyahu: Act before it's too late

The challenge is to reject the foolish and suicidal opinions expressed in this article. This is what should be done: Stand firm against those who would deligitmize the Jewish right to all of Eretz Yisrael. If the PA wants peace and a state, extract concessions from THEM, not us. Make THEM compromise. After all, it's our land. All of it.

But with many reservations.To begin with I hardly think Netanyahu has the time to listen or indulge in reading articles from any Israeli news outlets.Far too busy doing his work. I once wondered if politicians read talkbacks. If they do,they will wonder at the foolishness that permeates from parti-pris to the Pals,or to Israel. I would temper your praises if I were you. You may regret and be disapponted in the end. Especially living in lovely Toronto Canada,far from the maddening crowd of Israel and its journalists..

But,oops he now decided to BECOME an M.D Woooweee! Mr.Klein Is a genuine M.D. You? Are nothing but a shadow in comparison FOOL. Make sure your ponny tail is washed and clean. IDIOT.

That was such an excellent letter. You make it sound so simple to fix so many bad feelings about Israel. Is anyone else going to work at making the world a better place, or is that only Israel's work? There are so many worries for those of us who love Israel and a democratic life. May God help the world see a plan that doesn't include war.

Holy scriptures state that in the last days,(we're living in them now) the two sticks will again become one. Israel and Judea will be one. They will have one King, The Messiah Yashuah. He will be their God, and they will be His people. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.

I'm a "leftist" that supports Obama. I think Binyamin Netanyahu is a stalwart leader, he's faced with a number of difficult choices. Choices which a great deal of people will praise or criticize no matter what. And while I may disagree with some of the choices he will make, I doubt my President and Hillary Clinton 'hate' him. Just my 2 cents.

Where do you come up with this stuff? You generalize about "the West" (usually a bad move in itself, favored by those pretending to have some kind of knowledge). The whole French model of assimilation, for example, rejects the Muslim desire to be considered fully French without having to give up many forms of communal ties by which they define themselves; French Republicanism, characterized by secularism and individualism, insists on assimilation to a singular French culture (Scott, Politics of the Veil, Princeton University Press, 2007, p. 12). Is that your idea of the Western "embrace" of multiculturalism? Just one example of the problem with your fantasy world.

Kline, M.D., there you go again from your safety there in the US. Are you a dual and don't care much about your own country (the US) or just don't yet understand the danger Israel poses to the US? American Jews are going to have to make a choice: you can't have it both ways any longer. Declare your choice please. The world awaits the Green Line, and is growing increasingly impatient.

Dear Ari: I hope this little letter will find you and your family in good health, and all fondest desires come true. I only hope that in these turbulent times that all the citizens of Israel come to mutual agreement that all consider "peace in our times", to be of utmost priority, just remember, do not sacrifice your sovereignty in the process. Shalom

WOW! Ari Shavit certainly has courage. I thought that I myself had a non-negligible courage to speak truth to power, but Ari has the real thing. I hope that Netanyahu reads what he has to say and reflect on it. For the sake of the Israeli people. For the sake of the peoples of the Middle East, with whom Israelis have every reason to cultivate good-neighbourliness as soon and as fervently as they can. And for the sake of humanity!

shalom lekha, ross - you're assuming a few too many unwarranted things here (btw, what do you know about any comfort of prague /my comfort in particular?). i'm quite used to thinking quite hard, don't worry. the settlements are a huge, complicated & extremely sensitive subject. it can't just be 'dispensed' with in any simple way. but one can't let the settlers /a part of them take over the state either. shouldn't it worry you that there's a total disregard for the authority of the state amongst a portion of the settlers? 2nd, i'd n-e-v-e-r advocate to give away as much as an inch of any territory for just nothing. i'm not that foolish. but even if it was only for the reason of exposing the flaws & gaps in the pals' position & the impossibility of reaching a deal w/them, israel would need a very different position & policy than the one of the current government. you need to show that at least in principle you're willing. i'm too old to serve now, but i would've liked to.

The arabs have their pocessions the jews have theirs.

Peter The M.E. needs peace and harmony among all. We are sick and tired of wars, blood shed, and hatred. Please leave us alone. We need to live like other do all over the world, may be even like you in beautiful California.

California is beautiful and the M.E. does not need more extremists like you, so please do us a favour, stay in beautiful California and enjoy it.

Good post of yours too.Yes Happy Birthday ISRAEL! On the subject of age:Here comes Shavit with his inane(sorry Mr.Shavit)You upset many Jews here and gave the chance to the Israel bashers A FREE RIDE! Am Yisrael Chai!!!!!!!!! In my original post I said,and meant that alth

No one hates Bibi for being Bibi, they hate Israel for being Israel.

The western world did not stand with us before & in 1948, 1956, 1970, 1971,1973, 1980,1982,the years of the two intifadas,the 2 Gulf wars, the two Lebanon wars, the Retreat from Gaza, the Clinton Parameters, Baraks offer, which like so many initiatives made by Israel,to "Palestinian arabs", & all the neighboring arab countries, was rejected, unequivocally. What the writer seems not to remember,is that the other side wants us to "get out of here!" Remember how the US, Britain, France, Germany, & the rest came to our support during the 67 & 73 wars, the Lebanon & Gaza Wars, the Bombing of Sederot, Maalot, Coastal Road Murders, Nahariya & Netanya murder attacks? These "people" would rather kill, injure, & maim Jews (Israelis) than to see us live in our land! The 3 No's at Khartoum said it all. The frigid peace that "exists" between us and Egypt and Jordan are further testimony to their sincerity & the "piece by piece" method of destroying the Jewish State. We need to all be men & fight!

i'm quite sure i've been around TB longer than you, although i do take breaks from this crazy place, so i definitely don't just 'come here & mouth off' & i think i'm good at listening to anyone who's an israeli (are you?). i've never advocated that israel should give away territory 'cheap', if you know what i mean, but yes, i believe the unwillingness /inability to tackle the settlements enterprise issue head on is the no.1 difficult issue any israeli leader faces & not a few israelis share this view. we just happen to be on opposite sides of this divide. fair enough, don't you think? btw, i happen to be in israel quite often, incl. for longer periods & i'm regularly in touch w/israeli friends both baaretz & here. used to have family there, too. should entitle me to an opinion. (several of the most active & regular TBers have no such bond.) but no, i can't live there permanently myself at this point. in the future, who knows? yom hatzmaut sameah,-

The surest way to disaster is to listen to the advice of a man for whom advice is cheap, and who has nothing to lose when it proves disastrous. The writer's 'open letter' is nothing but a load of maudlin gibberish. This man has no respect for you, Bibi, and he never has. Don't fall for his disingenuous ego stroking. He hates your guts, probably as much as those he demands you appease. He and anyone who agrees with his obscene gestures of appeasement has clearly never learned anything about the history of our country. Hand over the Golan to Syria for the word of a Jew-hating, pathological liar? Brilliant! Iniciate a "limited disengagement". What the hell does that mean? As if once we forced our own law-abiding citizens from their homes and it doesn't work out, we will send them back in? How deluded do you think we are? Every time we give an inch, the world takes a mile. And there is never going back again. This open letter should go straight into an open trash can.

If you feel you can dispense the so-called settlers with a blinking of an eye,think before you write from the comfort of Prague and see for yourself before making unwarranted comments.To begin with,as far as I understand all of Israel is supposed to be ONE GIANT enterprise,according to Israel's enemies in the ME.i.e The Arab nations. Plus even if Israel gives in to all the demands without anything in return from Abbas(all the time)persisting the RoR,the Israeli capital Jerusalem ,etc,etc. I would thought you were intellectually competent to write a more amenable response. I guess you visited Israel,but have you ever served?(by the way I have)And many who write here from Australia,UK,France,USA,Switzerland S.Africa?All of them have a history of serving in the IDF.Especially during the nascent country called Eretz Yisrael. P/S Incidently I plan to make Aliyah and the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. Think before you write. Shalom

First let me say that I watch you frequently on Moetzet Hachachamim and usually agree with your positions and comments. I agree with the general gist of your letter to Bibi but fear that nothing will come of it because for many reasons he has chosen to get into the proverbial bed with 2 mad men (parties).....Lieberman and Shas. I?m not sure where he personally stands on some of these issues but even if I gave him the benefit of the doubt and suggested that he may be more flexible , he?s unable to move as long as he has these coalition partners. I don?t see Barak having any influence and as for Tsipi....I fear she?s a smart and honest person but that doesn?t bode well in Israeli politics.....not convinced she has the tough leadership skills.

You are wrong on every point you made in your post. FACT: NETANYAHU IS ISRAEL'S PM FICTION (in a way)Shavit is a mere journalist who is enthusiastically wants Israel to give the Golan back? Has Mr.Shavit lost,his mind demanding it from Netanyahu,that will put in jeopardy the thousands of residents who have (at last live in peace from the rockets lobed off)As it does in Sderot,ans Ashkelon. So,this is what happened to the north of the country,traumatizing its citizens.Those citizens who have had to live in shelters most of the time north. As for Zionism,plus the "Holocaust" he refers is not only an unacceptable but playing with with the Israel's deep feelings not worthy to write/advice PM Netanyahu and the country's public,that voted for him. I rest my case. but it would transpire in an UPRISING. Foolish idea altogether.

... is responsible for all the Chicken Little types running around with inane answers to everything. At 62 years, a country is pretty young. The USA at 62 was entering its war with Mexico, and still had the Civil War to look forward to. Even 150 years after that, USA is still fairly young. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Israel. Blow out the candles, and blow off all the static from the wankers (especially in EU) who think they know all the answers. They don't.

You can point out the reasons of the stalemate according to you? Methinks all's well to give advice etc.When are you going your words into action by moving out from Prague and LIVE IN ISRAEL which is much more to the point. Funny how some come here to teach Israel what it should do,or not,while they live far away in the comfort of their domicile!

Short reply,Israel will never again(one hopes) to appoint Barak EVER,thank you. PEACE TO YOU TOO,IN GOOD OLE USA.

And a number one,I think Shamir was even better than Begin.He was dedicated to Israel, had no monatery scandals,did not suffer fools gladly, he did not give a damn(when he was in England and a journalist asked him: What about this Kak? He nonchalantly replied:You mean:Kach.Kak (is shit)and walked away without a second glance.Another thing,he did not like praises showerd upon him.(he cringed when it happened). There you are. praised.A very private man.

What ever you,or anyone may think of Netanyahu,he is the PM of Israel and not Mr.A.Shavit! I think the writer began well,ended dreadfully. Being disrespecful,that I found it quite nauseating.

And yes I hear Joshua and Judah rolling over in there graves!!! So do I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

... and see why we Israelis cannot stay forever the only democratic country on this planet to rule a foreign, occupied and stateless people. Those who, soon after our stunning victory of June 1967, launched their settlement project on a land outside our sovereignty, as if the newly captured territories were our legitimate possessions, and their population had consented to be forever our silent and obedient subjects - were fools. "The striving to dominate and rule, at the end of the twentieth century, a hostile foreign population different in its language, history, culture, and religion, is like the attempt to revive feudalism. Not only will the effort to annex the territories not provide security; it will weaken the capacity to protect ourselves from our neighbors' hostility and the opposition of the nations." From the Open Letter Jacob Talmon wrote to Prime Minister Begin, in 1980. "Jacob Leib Talmon (1916-1980) was Professor of Modern History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been categorised as a 'Cold War liberal' because of the anti-Marxism which permeates his main works." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Talmon

Poor Bibi. Everyone hates him. He's so confused and so troubled. More than that - he... like Israel, is so victimized. He does nothing wrong. It's always everyone else who picks on poor, defenseless, misunderstood and fragile Israel. Get real. Israel has misused its power, its military might, and its leadership in the region to protect a handful of politically important religious fanatics. The multi party system has made any democratic moves impossible, since the right wing always is needed to control the Knesset. Israel is losing support among American Jews...and thrives on the false support of Christian Zionists waiting to destroy Judaism in the Second Coming. What a waste of what might have been.

that you call heritage and history. As it is with the English as they look back to Saint George and King Arthur or the Americans who spoke of the shining 'City on a hill', first Winthrop and later Reagan, so you wish to focus on the covenants of legend and the kingdoms of old regardless of their connections [or lack thereof]to the modern Zionist state. As zmogus states, the endless torchlight parades on Massada simply evoke Nuremburg not a largely mythical era divorced [in reality] from your modern Israeli nation. The "rise of socialism" that you ardently claim is all around you must be the result of hallucinatory medications or just the by-product of far fetched ahistorical delusions. This must be the product of hysteria bought on by a severe bout of paranoia. Right of centre coalitions and governments abound, being recently elected to office in France, Germany, Italy, Holland and soon to be elected in the UK. These of course, escape your notice, or perhaps you were referring to Bolivia? All in all, you sound as if you buried your intellect in the pages of some daft historical fiction and simply refuse to come out of your self imposed exile. Like the Japanese soldiers left behind in the jungle still fighting WW2 decades later, your call to your co religionists to buy into the mythology and reap the promised afterglow, is a bit like fighting the last war over and over. You and Israel need to move on, and fast.

Describing Israel as a small and fragile state is a joke. Pleading with Netanyahu to do what is right so as not be hated is infantile. Israel is breaking international law with impunity. Its leaders use anti Semitism as an excuse to continue an illegal and immoral occupation. What a childish article - begging for leadership, and praising a meaningless phrase in an arrogant and meaningless political speech. Talking about a demilitarized Palestinian state while Israel oppresses and attacks Palestinians at will and refuses to admit its nuclear power is at the root of its alienation by the rest of the world. An attitude of "WE MAY" but "YOU MAY NOT" will be the end of any pretense of being a nation to be proud of.

hi smadar, - w/all due respect to all the religious concerns, i believe the real nut is elsewhere. it's in the unwillingness, inability /whatever it is, as to taking on the number one taboo & nation splitting subject of the settlements, & of course doing it in practice. it seems to be a growing fortress within israel, eating up the state from within. it's not only making a peaceful compromise w/the pals impossible, it's erasing the authority of the state as well. everybody knows it would take a lot of costly political courage, will & some solid alliance to take on this ever-growing, festering & paralyzing thing. every government since -67 has let this pass & grow & the country has now ended up w/a PM who wants to keep it that way all in the open. it's to let a minority keep hijacking the majority as most israelis could well live with giving up sovereignty over some of the sacred connections (as they do w/hebron) if only a final deal would be credible enough w/reg. to security.

for Bibi to act for the larger good of the country and its people. Bibi Take the big and unfavorable steps so in the end--Israel will be greater.

Prof. Jacob Talmon could be right in his days. But when day follows night things changed. The dream of jews living with the palestinians was lost in the darkness of the night and nothing left of it in the clearing sunshine of the day. The time to judge who is right & who is wrong is gone. We are all left with the truth of the current day. No way to go backward. Israel is real and the need to survive is the duty of every jew ! And the arab made it so ?! They rejected coexistence in 48 and they build on that rejection with all the power they tried to command. And for every force there is an equal force+. To resist it is the story of this conflict ! Hate bigoted hate ! Where must be our side now ? is obvious ! Rationalize will get you nowhere ! Not putting your heart and soul in it; is a crime against your own people. After all the palestinians can live with their own kind; the jews have no where to go ! And that is always your mistake ! Not taking your own side is wrong !

refusing to accede to every israeli demand is not the same has "hating" israel. the sooner people understand that the quicker that progress can be made.

harzion off on one of his benders

The most difficult aspect of the current occupation and the inevitable withdrawal is the religious connotation to the territories more than security issues and this was also the case for PM Menachem Begin. That's the difficult dilemma for Israel.

the maniacs are the palestinian leaders. unenlightened. violent. the enlightened non-violent palestinians are the majority. the constant sell out by the violent palestinian leaders keept the door open to the soviets, nazis, saudis, wahhabis, and not the tehran mafia. palestinian intellectuals, said and khalidi have not contributed intellectual inputs, and nurture propaganda of violence only without a balanced fair policy of non-violence

About damn time.

and still believes, naively and without any sort of real basis, that he is anything but a hack politician whose only interest is to "be" Prime Minister and to give propaganda speeches in the style of his speeches when he was ambassador to the UN. He achieves this by being backed by the Right and the extreme Right which are his ideological brothers.. His faith in Netanyahu is the result of believing what Bibi told him, which had proved to be worthless, during their years of behind-the-scenes conversations. If he is disappointed in Netanyahu it is a disappointment in a person who might be, but as a politician never was, nor is, nor will be.

Rejectionists know rejection. Who are the rejectionists to signing a peace treaty that makes sense for now and will ensure peace in the region for centuries (at least the next 100 years) meaning coexistence and cooperation in activies that benefit the world.

Good post coinciding to my view point. The advice he gave to the Prime Ninister sounds the same as the Palestinans.Demands without giving anything in return. Also relinquishing the Golan? Is he mad,or just A BAD lefty. Mr.Netanyahu take note and dismiss it all out of HAND. Israel is not going to commit suicide to please Assad,and make the North of Israel vunerable. Out of th equestion period..

Before the Holocaust what kept us as Jews was recitation of the Shema. Now, many have forgotten the words. To some, Israel also refers to the People Israel, modern Jews as they are in the world today, loved and hated at the same time.

havit is indeed naive to think Israel can trust any Palestinian Authority by giving up the West Bank or any territories of Eretz Yisrael for a Palestinian State so that Hamas from the South will take it over and pose a greater threat to Israel existence from within with the Hizbollah from the North it is committing suicide.What I find reasonable is an agreement with the Syrians giving up the Golan in exchange of Syrian support to Iran and Hizbollah. But how can u trust them ?

there are only two types of israeli jews. those who love their country and those who do not. such is the case in all countries. wannabee philosophers have never saved a single life. they should stay in their libraries and their lecture halls.

...problem with Netanyahu. In fact, Bibi is by far a better PM than anyone around, better than my preferred Barak who can hardly put two words together. Too bad he's a liar...

Hanna Arendt talked on the Jewishness as a historical condition, without trying to remake it into some essential ideologically operative category. One early Jewish poet said the true state of the Jews will come into being when the Jewish pimp of Jewish prostitutes will be judged by Jewish policemen. The truth is it will come into being when Israeliness will cease to be a ?project? or a ?mission?. A politically indifferent hobo in a TA street is more Israeli and Jewish than all the so-called leftists, endlessly pulling out the identity tree out of earth to see if the ?natural? Israeli identity started giving root, and more than those like Netanyahu, endlessly re-enacting the pre-holocaust sense of crisis. After Beria?s ?the enemy?s never sleeping? maxima became history, one could expect that no democratic leader would resort to its ruthless exploitation.

The post-67' nationalists threw away the Universalist aspect of the proto-Zionist thinkers, and returned to the pre-Zionist idea of eternal victimhood. In both cases the political challenge, the sweet passage, the sense of unique moment and mission in the global history was kept for the new generation afresh, with the little help of massive walks with torches at night, uniforms, solemn gatherings, oaths and other paraphernalia, so evocative of scenography of Nuremberg.

The biggest challenge for Israel is the Zionism. It is the notion that carries in itself the pre-state mentality in which the state must be still created and the new type of Jew still invented. The idea of passage has been the most overused and abused emotional stimulus in the modern history of political movements, both left- and right-wing. In the context of Zionism, it is the idea that, although catching up belatedly the modern European nationalist philosophies, the Jews would take the nationalist idea to its ideal, truly Universalist & global level, unparalleled in other ever particularizing nationalisms, the idea that Greek and Russian nationalist thinkers toyed endlessly with during the 18-19th cc. For the leftist Zionists like Sh. Avineri, this permanent re-enactment was a "permanent revolution", the reinvention of the passage, the continuation of Herzlian idée-fixe of the "state-laboratory".

... act before it's too late Thirty years ago, when there were less than 10,000 settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, along with 50,000 in East Jerusalem, a wise man warned you/us : " ... Efforts to expand and fortify our domination over the population in the territories will bring about the loss of any chance for a peace agreement and will open the door to unfathomable dangers. The effort to hold the conquered territories proves itself to be not the crowning point of our history, but rather a trap, a burden not to be borne without degradation, corruption, and perhaps even collapse." From an Open Letter Professor Jacob Talmon of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem - a renowned Israeli authority on Zionism and modern nationalism - wrote to Prime Minister Begin, in 1980. Begin never answered Talmon's letter. In 1980, no one had even heard the name `Hamas`. And no Israeli leader would have dared acknowledge the very existence of a Palestinian people.

I hear Joshua and Judah rolling over in there graves!!!

The fact that there are those who know little of the Holocaust should be a warning sign that history is going to repeat itself. We are witnessing the rise of socialism around the world that is producing it's Marxist and Nazi's. Open your eyes, look around, do you not see this happening? Ari, don't follow the line of your hate filled journalist friends. Encourage them to learn and internalize a little history. They are wrong! Israel needs to prosper spiritually. Towing the Socialist, Marxist line is not good for the Jews. Jews need to return to basics, to Yiddishkeit and take the hard decisions that will show the world that we can stand together. United we stand, divided we fall. The only thing that can unite us is our heritage and history, our line in the sand.

It makes me wonder what planet I'm on to read that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton "hate" Prime Minister Netanyahu. It ain't personal. The U.S. has interests in the Middle East and the wider world that overlap but aren't congruent with Israel's. The difference, perhaps, is that the current U.S. leadership is wiling to say that publicly. From this side of the Atlantic it seems apparent that the current Israeli government is unwilling or unable to attempt to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. If it did so, Israel would get strong U.S. support.

History will show that the "it's too late" point was the signing of the Oslo accords.

i have never ever advocated for the expulsion or deportation of palestinians. that you should so insinuate is a provocation. at this time, benjamin netanyahu is prime minister of israel. he has once again called on the palestinians to negotiate with his government without pre-conditions. i have nothing to add to his call for negotiations.

I think Netanyahu and people like him are represhensible. But you should not be talking about hypocrisy when it comes to the ME. The Palestinians showed their true colours in 2002 by sending over 100 suicide bombers into Israel. I and Jews all over the world were shocked to see Palestinian mothers being interviewed and talking about how proud they were of their children for blowing up buses and restaurants. If I were you I would button my lip and take a look at you own biases.

Folks, this difficult situation has been brewing for a lot longer than Obama's tenure. All that has happened was Bibi thumbing his nose at Obama for him trying to move the peace process forward, even just ever so slightly. My Israeli friends, the unrelenting truth is, the Palestinians are never, ever, going away. Wishing away this situation will not solve it.

This should be a happy day for Israel, but it is a troubling, sobering time. Unfortunately, I don't see Bibi making any bold moves in the direction of peace right now. With the Palestinians divided right now as well, I don't see Abbas taking any decisive initiatives either. Israel, unfortunately, doesn't trust my President to nudge the sides toward a two-state deal. Salaam Fayaad's unilateral statehood program is overrated. Iran moves closer to a nuclear weapon. I don't see Bibi taking any risks, except with regard - possibly - to Iran, which may have horrible consequences. I hope, as you do, that Bibi rises to the occasion. I have my doubts.

all true and nice. do not discard the Palestinians!? do order a cure for the Palestinians by prescribing non violence. and practice an ultra non violence at home too the rest of the world must teach inject NV to Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Africa and Asia .... Gene Sharp is the New God!

"those who claim to hate netanyahu have in mind the jewish state. make no mistake about it. it is the jewish state that is hated and netanyahu is just the convenient foil." Recent history contradicts those statments. The US and the European gov'ts (not the people) been supportive and indulgent of Israel prior to the Netanyahu gov't. But they are going to look after their interests regardless of the fact that Israel is Jewish or not. You can't blame them for that.

... act before it's too late Thirty years ago, when there were less than 10,000 settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, along with 50,000 in East Jerusalem, a wise man warned you/us : " ... Efforts to expand and fortify our domination over the population in the territories will bring about the loss of any chance for a peace agreement and will open the door to unfathomable dangers. The effort to hold the conquered territories proves itself to be not the crowning point of our history, but rather a trap, a burden not to be borne without degradation, corruption, and perhaps even collapse." From an Open Letter Professor Jacob Talmon of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem - a renowned Israeli authority on Zionism and modern nationalism - wrote to Prime Minister Begin, in 1980. Begin never answered Talmon's letter. In 1980, no one had even heard the name `Hamas`. And no Israeli leader would have dared acknowledge the very existence of a Palestinian people.

Whether Bibi will even read this letter...Nonetheless it is an excellent letter and my hat is off for Haaretz for excellent articles, keep up the good work,may be someone in Israel will take notice

He has Israel giving, giving and giving. There is very little get. As for what and who the arabs hate, it is very simple. They hate Jews. They hate the State of Israel. They hate Zionists. They hate Zionism. They love the idea of Israel giving and giving but as soon as there is no more to give they will hate us as usual. It is writtin in their Koran. It is written in their Charters. It is taught in their schools. If I left anythin out, be free to tell me

"Mr. Prime Minister, something very bad has happened since that evening. Perhaps the blame lies with . . ." Everyone else except Bibi Netanyahu. Sure. The whole world is wrong and poor Bibi is put upon unjustly.

"The president of the United States hates you." - Ari Shavit Were Obama a man driven by personal passions he would have responded to a year of brazen contempt and denigration by Netanyahu long before he did. The treatment of Biden was so blatant and so egregious that it required some response. It is Netanyahu who has acted entirely based upon his personal feelings. Obama has made it very clear that he is more than willing to engage in dialogue with Netanyahu. It is Netanyahu who avoids it.

I can not for the life of me understand how an Israeli can be anti-semetic. See we have the same problem here in America. Religion has been lost and in its place American Jews have turned to liberalism. (Yet of course that is only those Jews who only consider Judaism to be a heratige not a religion, conservative and orthodox jews have not accepted this stance). It is self hatred from "jews" that causes weakness in the state of Israel. It is this bleeding heart idea that any country willing to fight for its self is evil and should be destroyed that has gotten the world to this place. Because guess what, that sentiment only exists in the governments of westernized countries. Do you think Iran thinks that way? They are not anti-zionist, they are anti-jews. The Iranian government wants all Jews gone the same way Hitler did. No land is going to change that. It is not Israel and the jews that are causing suffering among arab/palastinian people it is their own leaders!

Dear Ari Shavit Acolleague forwarded to me an e-mail of your open letter to the Prime Minister. All that I can say is that I regard it as a brillian analysis of the situation, and a movng prayer for wisdom. One can only add Amen to the hope that the elected leader of Israel will show the leadership the moment demands. Thank you for your words, and I hope that they are read by the intended recipient with an understanding of the honesty they represent. I am respectfully your mother Rachel's cousin Ezra Finkelstein

would be a disaster for Israel. Moreover it belongs to your biblical homeland. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Shalom from Holland

A few observations from an American leftist gentile. #1 America and Obama do not hate you. If you think for one second that the U.S. will not stand by Israel when the chips are down, then you are crazy. You can not get elected dog catcher in this country unless you promise to be a true friend of Israel. This is true on the left and the right. #2 We see Israel as a very strong nation. Militarily Israel seems to have the upper hand in the region. The idea that an independent Pal state poses a threat to Israel seems preposterous. Who cares if Arabs spout off about destroying Israel, they can't really do a damn thing about it. #3 Americans want peace but we love justice. The situation of the Pals in Gaza and the West Bank is not just. Only Israel has the power to do the right thing. Will this bring peace? Probably not. Does Israel have the guts and the fortitude to do the right thing and keep fighting? We're with you. Every step of the way.

"We know that Israel has its particularities, but still it is a national democratic ( jewish majority) liberal (civic and individual rights for all)and even multicultural ( which pays respect to Muslims women veils even more than secular democratic France)" Arik You are comparing a young nation-state Israel with its two major ethnic groups, with the union of 27 nation-states with their historical still palpable frictions and its close-to 200 ethnic groups. I hope that alone will fix in one go your problem of comparison. And when in Israel they will stop talk on the transfer of its only major ethnic minority in the highest level of officials, and when they will purge the ethnic-based laws, then you can put the French Muslim women's veil argument into your pocket and feel better about the flagrant frictions ripping the Jewish Israeli society apart with no help of the "other within".

Hanna Arendt talked on the Jewishness as a historical condition, without trying to remake it into some essential ideologically operative category. One early Jewish poet said the true state of the Jews will come into being when the Jewish pimp of Jewish prostitutes will be judged by Jewish policemen. The truth is it will come into being when Israeliness will cease to be a ?project? or a ?mission?. A politically indifferent hobo in a TA street is more Israeli and Jewish than all the so-called leftists, endlessly pulling out the identity tree out of earth to see if the ?natural? Israeli identity started giving root, and more than those like Netanyahu, endlessly re-enacting the pre-holocaust sense of crisis. After Beria?s ?the enemy?s never sleeping? maxima became history, one could expect that no democratic leader would resort to its ruthless exploitation. For that TA hobo, the Jewish state has been for a while. For the posters like Cipora it will never be.

The post-67' nationalists threw away the Universalist aspect of the proto-Zionist thinkers, and returned to the pre-Zionist idea of eternal victimhood. In both cases the political challenge, the sweet passage, the sense of unique moment and mission in the global history was kept for the new generation afresh, with the little help of massive walks with torches at night, uniforms, solemn gatherings, oaths and other paraphernalia, so evocative of scenography of Nuremberg.

The biggest challenge for Israel is the Zionism. It is the notion that carries in itself the pre-state mentality in which the state must be still created and the new type of Jew still invented. The idea of passage has been the most overused and abused emotional stimulus in the modern history of political movements, both left- and right-wing. In the context of Zionism, it is the idea that, although catching up belatedly the modern European nationalist philosophies, the Jews would take the nationalist idea to its ideal, truly Universalist & global level, unparalleled in other ever particularizing nationalisms, the idea that Greek and Russian nationalist thinkers toyed endlessly with during the 18-19th cc. For the leftist Zionists like Sh. Avineri, this permanent re-enactment was a "permanent revolution", the reinvention of the passage, the continuation of Herzlian idée-fixe of the "state-laboratory".

or does not do. I think you don't get it. It makes not a whit of real difference. Israel is hated because it exists. The Jews are hated because they exist, are successful, rich, poor, good, bad, it makes no difference. The madness has gripped the world again, and we are confronting the same repetitive problem seen a mere eyeblink away. Israel must stand firm, and must not give in to the Obama and his henchmen who clearly care nothing for Israel and the Jews.

I hope Netanyahu reads this piece!

Go back and undo that one and then you can freely live anywhere in Palestine. With the rest of the Palestinians. And peacefully if you choose.

"Bibi" is in a straigtjacket of his own making - the jacket being Shas , Yisrael Beitenu and the settler crowd. Where is the up-to-now silent majority to topple him ?!? David

but as far as persuading the Israeli government to make changes, it's really much more persuasive when the Israeli public exercises their democratic right to have any impact. It's also important to continue educating the world about the meaning of Israel's independence, the Jewish peoples' history, the Holocaust, and the return of world Jewry to the homeland where it sought security and legitimacy from the global community. Unfortunately not all the Muslim communities have accepted the Jewish state but there's hope. BTW This might interest you ivo since you are from Prague. Yesterday I took my sons to see a documentary "Inside Hana's Suitcase", based on a true story where a Holocaust museum in Japan exhibits a suitcase of this Czech Jewish girl Hana who perished in Auschwitz, but her brother survives. The Museum and the survivor are continually teaching all around the world the consequences of hatred. I understand that in Israel the play " Hana's Suitcase" is well received.

If Mr. Shavit is right about anything he is right about one thing: there is no partner on the other side. Any change creates a void. As in Gaza, as in Southern Lebanon, something must fill the void. That will be either Hamas or Hibullah. First fill the void (Jordan, but the king is unwilling) then redraw the map.

Look @ the facts: 1. Obama approved $30 billion for aid to Israel over the next 10 years 2. Under Obama's direction, the US rejected the absurd Goldstone report 3. Under Obama's direction, the US conducted the biggest ever Israel-US bilateral military exercises, & sold Israel many billions of $ worth of latest military equipment (something Israelis' beloved GW Bush did not do) 4. Netanyahu's had more face time with Obama than any other foreign leader 5. Look at who Obama's top advisors are - VP BIden has a flawless record of championing pro-Israel legislation during his 40 yrs in the Senate, and chief of staff Emanuel comes from Israeli parents & served in the IDF

we in the diaspora would take it to the streets as well in support of you. i don't know how much impression an open letter like this one will make on netanyahu &/others. if he hears it from rabin square & other squares around israel he'll be bound to listen, though. editorials & open letters have had their time. it's doubtful the people of israel, & notably those who do not support this government, can afford just to sit & wait. a movement of engaged israelis, waking up those who still may be sleeping, is called for, convincing the world that this is a direction most of them, & indeed most jews in the diaspora, do not want.

I am not a fan of Israel's policy in the region, but this is a very timely message and the author has spoken more than eloquently

Once again, CP Kohen proves my point. In order to justify its actions, Israel depsperately needs to believe and inculcate in its citizens that it is hated and hated because it is a Jewish state. I might point out that the nuclear weapons of Israel are pointed toward Iran, threatening its existence. Ms Kohen seems to bypass this. Your claim is baseless. The world community is sick and tired of a country, that at one point in its history was greatly admired and respected, of its occupation and denial of rights to another nation it continues to occupy and dispossess. You cannot admit that because it would blow your cover, or you believe in a reality that can only be hostile to the Jewish state and wher hostility to Israel has nothing to do with its current actions or lack of them. Israel undernetanyahu is undermining the security of the US and its role in the region. You have created the hostile atmosphere in the international community. Face it and stop with the excuses.

There was another NY intellectual Toni Judt that uttered this same wierd theory "we are in a liberal multicultural world...( see New York and London), and zionism is out of history" In the meantime, in the European Union, Northern Italy wants ethnonatioanlism. Flanders wants ethnonationalism, The basques always wanted ethnonationalism, ....and others like the Scots Catalans etc , are not racist ethnonationalist but they are nationalists. This is happening at the time that even the Netherlands and Britian want to get rid of multiculturalism or at least diminish the multicultural impact in theor societies . (Poor Ch. Taylor, ughhhhh) We know that Israel has its particularities, but still it is a national democratic ( jewish majority) liberal ( civic and individual rights for all)and even multicultural ( which pays respect to Muslims women veils even more than secular democratic France) Sorry my friend. It has a great future.

Peace is a noble goal. Peace brings benefits to all those who cling to and seek it. Where there is peace innovation, problem solving, and productivity of what the world needs. Communicating using cyberspace as the medium is a powerful tool in global communications, dialogue, and thinking, and understanding another.

Mr. Shavit, you have been too kind and lenient with Netanyahu; too much glory he doesn't deserve: the man is a small manipulating politician who will never raise to the hour; the man is scared of his shadow, let alone his cronies.Nothing will change despite you appeal: all he is interested in is survival as PM: can't you see that? do you suffer of myopia? otherwise he would have done at least a iota, to prove he cares. Netanyahu is the PM of the right ONLY, the rest of Israel is not important in his eyes.

Ari Shavit wrote a passionate letter... and yes, it's something that needs to be said. I have no doubt Netanyahu will read this article... but will he find the courage to act. That is for me... the crux of the matter. Someone once said, prediction is given to fools... and I for one, prefer not to be any more foolish then absolutely necessary. So I'll refrain from forecasting what Netanyahu will or will not do. But if common sense is of any value... I would be satisfied if Bibi resolved the West Bank occupation issue and approach a two state solution. That, in my opinion would be a milestone achievement in itself.

not to argue with her and give her what she wants because she's the only sage that can see truth. Mark this person is soo deluded that she thinks everything Israel does is moral and justified so for you to even question anything is beyond her understanding. She preaches about mullahs and their evils and yet she never EVER shows any sign that she thinks Palestinians are human beings with a right to live. She's the Zionist version of Ahmedinejad: consistently building a nuclear hypocracy bomb on this site and refusing to LISTEN and try and UNDERSTAND the rest of the world. I hope this helps...

we alone are in charge of our destiny--not you. nor any member of the european race which has caused more wars and famines than the mind can encompass. never again will the white race dictate to us how to live our lives, or where to live our lives. never again will you trample on our identity, our pride, our joy, our dignity. your multicalturalism means nothing to us. we have the most multicultural state in the entire world. we have the most diverse culture in the world. so, there is nothing that you can teach us or that we would want to teach you.

Ms. Kohn, Ehud Barak has said that, So long a Israel remains in Judea and Samaria, Israel will either be a democratic state that is not fundamentally Jewish or a Jewish State that is not fundamentally democratic. It is clear that it is not possible to expel and deport all of the Arabs in Judea and Samaria. Such an act would be reprehensible and except for the fringe right wing, unacceptable to Israelis and the rest of the world. So what proposal do you have that Mr. Barak has not seen? Peace. Stephen

israels shame,is that it haS NOT YET RETURNED TO THE MORAL POSITION AND HIGH STANDING IT ONCE HAD BEFORE 1967.ITS NOT TOO LATE,YET!!FREE THESE POOR WRETCHED PEOPLE YOU SHACKLE.JOIN THE WORLD,NOT DEPART

... but it doesn't look it is now ! The false support and no pressure the palestinians are gaining almost from all around the world is doing no more than hardening the cause of peace among the arab countries & the palestinians themselves. The talk of peace was turned into bazar, where one is there to find a bargain. A market where no one of either side is willing to part of its merchandise at any price. Unless reality infested in the peace talk the chances are no deal will take place. Jerusalem, security & the palestinian refugees will always be the three difficulties in the road for any peace. The reality is the palestinians are under the illusion that time is in their side. The fact it is not. Peace will only have its time when the palestinians have no more illusions & look reality in the face.

I am a Holocaust survivor. Not all of us are dead. That neither you personally nor your paper are our Prime Minister's supporter is clear as you support treason by stealing secret documents from the army because of the "need to reform ZAHAL". All your suggestions are unacceptable because there is NO ONE to accept them. Asad/kissing Achminajad? or our Palestinian friends who shoot rockets at us?? Your idea of giving up everything just to have the rockets closer to Tel Aviv? Or to satisfy Mr. Obama's middle name? would that satisfy your left wing solutions?? With friends like you Netanyahu certainly doesn't need enemies.

personally I think this is very emotional letter, and usualy emotional in this political context dosen't have positive connotation. To tell that Obama is hating Netanyahu is a big statement, which serves nothing but to feed this (un)realistic sense of Israeli sacrifice. Nobody is hating here, specialy, not in the elevate political circles. We all know what American democratic stands for and what Repubblicans stands for. Israel (We) need a realistic and sobber respond to a world that changes, we don't live any more in postmodern era where national pride was something that saves the nation. Today in order to survive we need to change the aims. Thanks

By refusing you show you have no more courage than average Gentiles in my humble opinion. Please..enough of the patronising. Expect no more or less from us than you do from the average Gentile. The only thing that's special about us is the expectations you place on us and the constant reminder that we, "The chosen People," should stand above the rest. We will always fail on this count.

Are you saying the Jewish state can not be treated like other states? That all criticism and pressure on Israel is anti-Semitism? But surely you would not suggest the US claim that Israeli policies harm US interests is anti-Semitic I may hope. That namely is outreagous and pathetic and creating very much disrespect and rapid loss of credibility and being taken serious. Arabs are Arabs and they hate the Jewish state, yes. The rest of the world wholehartedly supported Israel in the period 1948-1967. The world supported the Jewish state. The support was directed at the heart of the Jewish state. After 1967 Israel changed, the Jewish state changed and became an oppressor and institutionalized injustice. Gradualy the world support became criticism and disapproval, directed at Israel, the Jewish state. When the world supports Israel this is directed at the Jewish state. When the world criticizes and warns Israel, this is directed at the Jewish state. Now what is your point?

As even Shavit recognises, Israel can't go it alone. In order to survive, it either has to be part of the West or it has to be part of the East. A Zionist Israel, that views Jews as superior to Arabs, can never be a part of the East. And a Zionist Israel that views Jews as superior to Arabs can never be a part of the modern multi-cultural West. It's one problem the diaspora has. How can a Zionist Jew in the UK or US demand full rights in a secular, multi-cultural democracy but at the same time, demand that Israel is The Jewish State where Jews are 1st class citizens and Muslims are 2nd class citizens, discriminated against in jobs, in housing, in public finance, in education etc. etc.? Ultimately Israel will have to end Zionism or at least tone it down, in order to survive. It's lsoing support in the West, fast. It doesn't have that long to act.

"The sober Herzlian overcame the anachronistic nationalist" A.Shavit Ari, I work on Herzl and Zionist intellectual history. Could you explain me what is "sober Herzlian" if it is not an utter oxymoron?

"To Ari did you note that less than24 hours after the British banned an add by the Israeli tourism authorities for including a picture of the kotel since they claim it is Arab land and not part of Israel that Ash from the Iceland volcano closed down British air transport. Note that it may not be a coincidense..." So, because a British advertising regulatory body upheld what has always been UK policy, suddenly God screws up the travel plans of thousands of innocent Brits, and not just Brits, but French and Germans and Scandinavians, and yes, even Israelis? While on the other hand, the same God allowed Hitler to do his evil for over 12 years without a single volcano screwing up Germany's air traffic? It's hard to believe in a God who's that random and that uncaring. But I have to say, the ability to believe in such scary deities is unlikely to help the world much, and certainly doesn't help peace in the Middle East

This historic letter must be read by all palestinian leaders and of cource by all arab intellectuals. A historic mistake has been done by trhe zionist movement . Israel still has the chance to make the right corrections and thus secure a safe and peaceful existence for both jewish and palestinian arabs. I agree with the five options suggested by Mr. Shavit.

you sound no different than the mullahs in iran: "a world without zionism." there will never be a world without zionism. neither the marxists of the so-called west, nor the muslim fanatics will end it.

Hi, I agree with what you say. But what I don't understand, why so many people hate Jews ?? For what reason ?? I don't hate Jews and I don't see any reason to do so ? Is it the same hatred the world cast against black people ? That is also without reason... Thanks

for what i understood from the election result, Livni got more ballots than netanyahu. but both parties shared the voices of a clear majority in israel. the other parties were far below that figures, real minorities. with this result, to build a coalition with right-extremists, was simply ignoring the voters choice. it was irresponsible and highly disrespectful. unfair and just egoistic. what if bibi had said before the election: "in case i get elected, i will form a coalition with the right wing, and lieberman as FM etc etc.." ?

The trouble is that now it's not just the occupation the West is rejecting, it's the whole apparatus of Zionism. Since WW2, the countries of the West have changed their entire societies, partly to make sure that nothing like the Holocaust will ever happen again. They have thrown out blood and soil nationalism and embraced a multi-culturalism that emphasises that, for instance, a Jewish citizen is every bit as much a member of that society as a person whose family lived there for thousands and thiusands of years. Ironically this now means that the blood and soil nationalism of Zionism seems anachronistic to the West. They will increasingly reject the idea that a wealthy American Jew can go to Israel and automatically acquire a position and status in Israel that Muslims whose families have lived there for thiusands of years can never have. Time for Israel to change from The Jewish State to a real, secular, multi-cultur democracy with a Jewish majority and a strong Jewish flavour

im unsure, what you mean by "concessions". my impression is, that you all the time made "concessions", without getting in return of what you really need: you need your borders to be legalized. this is the vital thing for israel. that this hasnt been done yet, is israels "existential threat". the pain you feel can be heard from your article...

Well put. An honest, truthful, and sobering statement. Am a bit sorry you too demonize Obama, who like you is attempting to be realistic, ethical, and practical. The urgency of your message is not wrong. Thanks for being the messenger of such grim news.

What do we do if the pals, the Syrians, the Americans and the international community use the proposed compromises as another starting point for the next round of the same? Why don't we satisfy all of those who hate us by just giving them the key to this place? Then we will be loved.

Once again, Ari Shavit has made it. Clear, clean, patriotic in the highest sense of the word. And free: freedom of expression to the highest, deepest moral dimension. May G'd guide Netanyahu to read this open letter -I hope so- and may he listen deeply, and muster all his courage. May G'd help Israel's PM, whom -unlike Ari Shavit- I very much dislike. I hope to be proven wrong, and Ari Shavit be proven right when he sees virtue in this man, in whom I see no other virtue as a charmeur obsessed with power, who once in the PM's seat, really doesn't find neither his strength, nor his vision. May G'd provide them for him at this hour.

That is why you have lost the west , Obama does not hate Israel but America is done fighting your wars, As long as big brother protects you from the consequences of your actions you will never grow up. You can never be MEAN enough to have peace with your neighbors, And you cant take all of the water then claim you made the desert bloom

Ari Shavit thank you for this article, inshallah netenyahou will read it and do what you asked him to do. enough with the occupation

How many times can you attempt diplomacy, be smacked in the face, and then once again get on a soap box dishing out the moral indignation about a peace that has been rejected and payed for in countless victims...oslo=failure, disengagement=failure, annapolis=failure. Now you just sound like a broken record, or a lemming preaching while you jump off the cliff. Their is no honor in the peace the palestinian seek only subjugation and further demands. I reject your outlook as passe, I reject your paradigm as nieve, and I reject your sanctimonious appeal as outright suicidal given the nature of the other side and the history of this conflict that clearly shows that peace is not available to us. Now is not the time for peace parades but for us to strengthen our resolve in what looks like a long cold winter

How silly. Bibi is the settlers' candidate. It is the Israeli people who need the courage to boot him out. Fill the squares with demonstrations. Tie up traffic. Don't stop until the government falls. It's the only way.

... Israel's history... that is the source of its negative force... serious jettison is called for, before any change for the better can be made...

As long as Israel needs to finds refuge and safe harbor by association with the west, the more it will be fought against by the Arab world. Israel needs to woven into the oriental fabric not the western. The west is too far. It will always looks and smell like colonialism that is much despised in the Middle East as it caused havoc by dismembering it very social fabric. The oriental have to play a part in this bridge mending.

We've already tried this retreat tactic, this disengagment meneuver that ended in an abysmal failure.you may want to disengage from them sir but the palestinians do not want to disengage from us. Its time to wake up, and realize that this occupation is self imposed that the Palestinians could have independance decades ago, but would rather destroy a nation then build one of their own. Your beliefs at this point are not practical, but rather generated by world popular opinion, but it isn't the world that will have to deal with the consequences it is us who will pay in blood. Its time to wake up and smell the jihad, fortify ourselves to a long winter and have faith that we will be delivered from our enemies if we fight with courage and tenacity!

the world's hate does not come from what we have done, but rather who we are - Jews. We will not be able to please them no matter what we do. The fact that we have been in the world's good graces until today is only because of the after-effects of the Holocaust.As you admit, the guilt is wearing off. We are now back to the same hate we always had. We did nothing to bring on the world's hatred in the past, and we have done nothing now. There is an eternal hatred towards the Jews.

Very well written and I truly feel that the security and economic cushion is disappearing like the Holocaust witness and the new rage is occupation. I hope Bibi takes bold steps to leave a true legacy and not get pulled into inter party feuds. Its the time to rise to the occasion and behave like an ancient religion........Love thy Neighbor!!!

I learnt long ago that in a conflict I can only control and change myself, I cannot force the others to change themselves. I have control only over myself. What the Jews/zionists do not understand is they cannot blame the others for their situation. Only Golda Meir could utter "I hate the Palestinians for what they make me do to them". And all of you followed. But she did not believe in God, as she said. Do you believe in the Justice of God?

I have but to thank you Mr. Shavit. You are brave, wise and honest, with sound vision. Am just wondering how other posters here think and feel. Poor Israel with so much fanatism and ill remembrance of past catasrophic experience. Wake up.

or maybe HER help! who knows ;)

Israel Is Strong Militarily, Economically and Spiritually The Leftist Obamista representing the Fifth Column of Jewish capitulants, appeals to the Prime Minister: "Give up now because the black teenager Obama, the Seventh Fl cleaning lady, and the useless idiot Biden hate you." The Israeli leftists confuse the United States with Israel. Not Israel but the United States goes through a social, economic, and political crisis. Islamist Obama and democrats are hated by the majority, and will certainly face a huge defeat in 2010 and maybe in 2012 as well. America, for all practical purposes is a bankrupt country that survives thanks to the Chinese generosity only. America is involved in three hopelessly unwinnable wars. Obama and his court are completely lost how to get out from the dead end. And maybe there is no way out, only a way to a rapid decline of the great empire lost by Bush, Obama and the Wall Street bankers. Au contraire, in the last ten years Israel has defeated the Second Intifada, the Hezbollah mullahs, the Hamas crazies, and economically and militarily represents a real superpower, strongly and proudly looks into a bright future. Certainly, that makes the Jewish Obamistas extremely unhappy; their boss tells them: "Hurry up, 2010 and 2012 elections are here already and Bibi still doesn't give up." Obama's Jewish and Arab brigades are smartly concentrating their pressure only on the Prime Minister. Bibi should spit at their faces, the American Jews will definitely express their support for Israel in the forthcoming elections. Yes, the so-called "international community" bribed by the Arab oil money is barking at Israel on every occasion, but Israel does what it has to do defending itself successfully from the Armada of enemies, external and domestic.

peace cannot be accomplished under duress. peace must be desired by all parties. assad of syria does not desire peace. fayyad is inciting his people. hamas and hezbollah are arming to their teeth. iran is cackling in the background. nothing can be accomplished as long as iran continues to build ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs. iran calls israel a "microb." not one world leader has spoken up. under no conditions can israel surrender her right and duty to ensure her own security. no one will ever come to the rescue of the jewish state. we want peace, but not the peace of the dead. we have to trust in the idf and its leaders. we must trust in our own selves.

letter to PM Netanyahu and really on behalf of all of us seeking peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It's known by having read Shavit's articles over the years in Haaretz that he's had a greater affinity towards the political right and admires Benjamin Netanyahu. That's fine, nothing wrong with that. But to suggest that a President of United States, Barack Obama and a U.S. Secretary of State, etc. "hates" PM Benjamin Netanyahu is really an exaggerated and extreme choice of a word. It's most applicable to state that they have a disagreement on policies, on approaches in the next steps towards peace, but hate is too strong and it's an inferred judgement on their behalf. Otherwise the article is superbly written and totally agree with some propositions to the Prime Minister. Courageous of Shavit!

when it is claimed that israel is undermining us national security, this claim is directed at the jewish state. when the terrorists of iran call for a world without zionism, they threaten the existence of the jewish state. when israel is denied weapons, this denial is directed at the jewish state. when multiple thousands of missiles are directed at the heart of israel, they are directed at the jewish state. statesmen do not base their policies on personal antipathies of other leaders. those who claim to hate netanyahu have in mind the jewish state. make no mistake about it. it is the jewish state that is hated and netanyahu is just the convenient foil.

This opem letter is bad advice. No matter what you give up or give away, it will not bring peace, because your enemies want to destroy you. This is one Gentile who loves Israel and her people, who prays every day for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the good welfare of her people, and for G-d's wisdom for her leaders. I am not alone- there are many more like me, many, many!! It grieves me that Obama and his administration hate you, but G-d is bigger than Obama, Iran, etc...Stand firm in defense of your people and your land. If we learned anything from WW11, it is that appeasement brings destruction, and ultimately, the horrific Holocaust and its slaughter of millions of innocent Jews. Remember these words "Never again", and make your decisions by them, not by global nor terrorist pressure. Times may change, but human nature doesn't. Evil people do evil deeds, and their malice is easy to discern. I trust that you are wise in discernment, Mr. Netanyahu. Shalom.

It's discouraging to hear all the warmongers and nutcases that frequently post here and at JerusalemPost.com. It's nice to hear thoughtful, rational discourse for a change. Thank you, Mr. Shavit.

To Ari did you note that less than24 hours after the British banned an add by the Israeli tourism authorities for including a picture of the kotel since they claim it is Arab land and not part of Israel that Ash from the Iceland volcano closed down British air transport. Note that it may not be a coincidense and that if this is so Bibi would be a fool to turn down the help he is being offered from on High.

Courage is not the same as picking a fight with the rest of the world. Insult is easy, apologies takes courage. Denying wrongness is easy, admitting takes courage. As a Gentile I am not for Massada. I think there is a strong element of self-destruction in the psyche of Zionists seeking confrontation, in the longing to withstand and overcome the whole world and I think that is actually very sad. Because where gentiles failed, Jews will bring it upon themselves. Once upon a time the whole world was Rome and the Jews left behind an empty and liveless fort. Is that courage? I call it self-destruction. We do not ask you to disappear. We ask you to let your neighbours go out of bondage and slavery and to give them about half of the land. By refusing you show you have no more courage than average Gentiles in my humble opinion. Thank you.

Obama is simply following US policy on Isreale. His appraoach towards isreale is only different publicly. Even Bush has/would agree wiht Obama's position on such issues as settlements. in fact Bush Sr by far was more critical and harsher than Obama he cut aid to Isreale to pressure them back to the table... so know your history Obama's policy on Isreale is the same as every US president before him as far as you want to go back in time the only difference is Obama's color....

I don't know who Mr Shavit is, but his open letter is interesting reading. Interesting in-as-much as it lists actions that should have been taken well before the occupation lasted more than 40 years. As it is, Shavit is whistling in the wind. The world has turned its back on Israel, it has truly become a pariah state. History shows that a state which practices apartheid, inside and in the occupied territories and occupied Jerusalem, cannot last.

I agree with half of this article. Something should be done before it is too late. But that "something" is not what Avi Shavit suggests. Our enemies and the West will not like us any better if we will give the Arabs the whole West Bank and the Golan. The best proof is Gaza. They got it but they are using it against us. The West does not like us any better after the evacuation of Gush Katif than before. Even worse. We have been going backwards since the unfortunate Oslo process in 1993. The world will never like us. But they may respect us more if we showed some stamina. The Arabs definitely respect strength. Everytime we make a concession to them, they see it as a weakness and take advantage of it. Enough! We must say to the world, this land is ours!

Most Israelis are living in a soundproof bubble and do not hear the threat that is thundering down on them. For years South Africans fought against the winds of change and at the time they had western backers supporting them unflinchingly including the UK and The US.But when both the US and the UK left them they could not stand up to the windows of history. The winds of history are blowing oh Israeli you can either be blown away buy it and remembered as monsters our you can harness it and use its energy and power to make Israel grow strong and forever to be known as a courageous people of peace willing to make painful but necessary sacrifices the choice is yours all your friends and all your enemies have come to the same conclusion and in this world of lies and half lies if both your friends and your enemies are telling you the same thing that means that you are staring in the face of a difficult truth which will not go away no matter how tight you shut your eyes and wish it wasn't so

Mr. Netanyahu The Christian people of Canada and America are standing with you and Israel. We know that the God has chosen Israel and her beautiful people as his own. Obama may not be for Israel, but he's not for America either. He thinks that he is God and he will answer to God for it. We know God will protect Israel and her people,you must do whatever you have to do to protect your country. God does not want your country divided. Where does Obama, Clinton get off telling you to divide your country, tell them you will when they give Alaska to Russia. See how fast they would react to that. Please know you are in are prayers always and in our thoughts. GOD BLESS ISRAEL.

I've read a many of your anti-Israel letters. Some would call them the views of the liberal or left-wing. What is really interesting is that every time I write a response, it is never posted. I guess the far left is just a gnat's eyelash away from communism after all. Your pride yourself on your "forward thinking" Ari, but have censors deleting opposing viewpoints. Interesting.

Mr Shavit - write your bleeding heart letters to Mahumud Abbas and tell him some truths. Or would be inappropriate from your myopic point of view?

The Palestinian are their own jailers. They refused deal after deal because in their heart of hearts what they really want is Israel dismantled and the Jews expelled from Ha Aretz. Netanyahu played the concessions game the first time he was prime minister only to get nothing in return plus getting booted out of office for playing the fool.

Ari; if you look at ARABS paper, you can see they admire you akiva levey all of you you will be making more money and live gbeter do israel a favor and before you dstroy my country go to arabs state there is 22 of them sooner you do that betterstate of israel will be and do not forget to denounce your citizen ship we do not need this kind of jew and israeli take sarid with you

While I absolutely relate to Ari's letter, Victor, you're question proves again Ari's point. "Peace is descening down on Israel". From where, Victor? From Obama? From the Pals? From the Syrians? From the west? you're dreaming. Israel has no partner and peace can't be imposed. The world must grow up, not only bibi.

I still don't hate you..." Ari left this last part out.

History has shown that the options you have listed are bound to fail. Although I agree in two states for two people, I also agree that those "people" must earn the right to that state by non-violent means. The world has hated the Jewish people and will continue to do so in our lifetime and the lifetime of our children. Appeasing the world will never make us safer!

The body of this letter still blames everyone else, Obama, the Palestinians the world but not Israel. Its time to stop blaming others and look inward. Peace is all in Israels hands. Palestinians aren't acting mature? you want more endless negotiations while the land is gobbled up?

Ari, should the United States be given back to England or to the American Indian? Should Texas and California be given back to Mexico? Ari, when Jordan controlled the land now controlled to Israel from 1948 to 1967 what do you think they would have said if someone asked them to give it up. They would have spit in their face. What did Jordan do for the Palestinians during the time they had the land in Question? Nothing. They did however systematically destroy all that was Jewish. Have the Arabs offered up a portion of Mecca for the Jews? Have the Arabs offered to remove Dome of the Rock from the Temple Mount? Ari you are a pseudo intellectual who does not have his feet grounded in the real world. You are a Jewish Anti-Semite. You are a disgrace.

Beautiful letter. Happy Independence Day and may Bibi live up to the crisis before Israel and deliver the country out of this mess by exposing the statesman within him. The glass is half full.

can it survive?

Netanyahu isn't listening to you. He probably isn't listening to ANYONE. He's staring at the oncoming headlights, and he can't pay any attention to the babble going on around him when he's frozen with fear of what's bearing down on him.... He's not an action man, just a classic REactionary. You're wasting your time.

that is not a viable option.they will use the territory to fire at us.as hizballah and and hamas have done. there will be a deal when the situation matures and until then we have to persevere.dont listen to those who panic.we willl win as we have done time and again.

putting an end to zionism is not in the hands of the gentiles.it is we and only we who can put an end to the jewish enterprise. we have come far and with HIS help we will prevail.

settlement building and building in jerusalem.that invites more demands.tell obama no.what is he going to do?

Long and nice article but you forget the central point- Bibi agreed to two states qualified by zillion conditions knowingly ahead of time there was not any and there will not be any Palestinian leader who could agree to those. It was populism and nothing else, i am surprised you never understood it.

without self confidence we will not prevail. how frequently are we told to be "strong and of good courage" bibi do not give in to obama.do not give in to syria.trust in the people of this jewish nation.the gentiles are not for us.

israel is no longer loved.it is basically the same old story of envy and hatred of jews.it is not possible to make them feel differently.so let us do what is good for the jewish state. appeasing the enemy is most definitely not the way ahead.

the facts speak for themselves.israeli interests are the same no matter the leader.putting all this emotional baggage on bibi is not the way ahead. the middle east needs time.you cannot hurry the end of days.

that is the whole unvarnished truth. so essentially shavit asks bibi to pander to the greatest hater of israel we have ever seen in the white house. that would be a huge mistake.obama will keep pushing for more.say no.no no.

giving up the golan to syria would be a disaster.acting under pressure is never a good idea.