Hundreds of Israelis return from Sinai after kidnap warning

Enough already... nobody was kidnapped. The storm in the teacup is over. The danger of some idiot kidnapping Israelis for political or financial gain, or anyone - for that matter, always exists. All the more so because Israel has a real knack of making friends, as one can see from its popular diplomatic, military and other decisions which nobody inside the country, never mind from the outside, dares criticize. The only reaction ever is: oh, but you don't understand, let me explain. People should read the archived apartheid era newspapers... many quotes would sound exactly like the ones from the mouths of Israeli politicians. But I guess sincerely wishing Israel well and hoping for all its peoples that it would stop its journey into an abyss makes me an anti-semite and worse. Off with his head... off with his head.

I might remind pple of history. 1917 Aust Light Horse captured Bethsheba wells. Then went on with Brits to take the whole of the Palestine area including Syria. Brits took control. 1945 Lebanon created. 1948 Israel created for the jews. Jordon for the Arabs. Jordon had control of Jerusalem but was not interested in making it their capital. Arabs invade Israel 5 times, losing each time with Israel taking more land including Jerusalem. ARABS INVADED Not Israelis. Let the winner take the spoill. There is no such thing as Palestine or Pa"Palestinian Arab"

Continuing to fire rockets into Israel. Hamas has no successful strategy. It just knows to kill. Do you really think that they or Islamic Jihad cares about the outcome of their terrorist actions. How naive. How many times were they warned what would happen if they continued to fire rockets into Israel yet they persisted for years. Did not a high ranking official of Hamas just state they their strategy is too kidnap more Israelis. How else are they going to earn their money from Iran. You dont expect them to work do you.

Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip are wreaking the Egyptian tourist industry in the Sinai. That's just great!

The dangerous people you should be worried about are those in charge of Israeli government policy. It is generally accepted that Israel lost its humanity long ago but now it is also losing the plot. Scurrying around and issuing knee jerk reactions to divert attention from its inexorable slide into chaos. That however seems to be what the right, egged on by religious extremists and biblical colonialists, actually want. Each to his own but not a recipe for peace. Can't see a way back from this. Well maybe. There are other players apart from Israel and the US. Peace. Squeaky bum time!

Apologies for the delay. I think the retribution for Israels action can go on for a while but this time can be cut if Israel stops fidgeting at the negotiation table, maybe then the PA and/or Hamas will actually sit down and talk shop. Until then the Gazans feel aggrieved and pi*sed off with the way they as a population have been treated over the last few decades. I am quite happy to say that both blames, to a degree, are to blame on this one BUT what we need now is clarity and commitment at the table before peace ensue. I wish all sides involved good luck

the German negotiator blaming Netanyahu for the failure to reach an agreement to free Shalit then?

Please be more respectful to Hamas when they say they want Israeli company for Shalit. When has Hamas or any rigid philosohy (including a couple of parties in Israel) ever made sense. Dino, you cannot use western logic in understanding some of these groups. Hamas will never have peace with Israel.

I just got through eight years of my own government crying "wolf" at every turn of the hat. That cost our government $Billions and produced no measurable results and prevented nothing tangible. Now my state is warning of death panels and FEMA Re-education camps, all while cutting funds for basic things like schools.

Egypt' Sinaii Tourism' income could increase if cooperate with Israel against Jihad and if cooperate with Israel's highly efficient and trained medics . Unacceptable that Sinaii turns into Dubai terror transactions center .

How quaint it must be in lovely idaho,but the govt is taking its responsibility in protecting its citizens from highly dangerous people.Easy for you and others to talk.

For Gilad Shalit israel must Free all Palestinians in israeli jails. They are innocent. They are Freedom Fighters!

"Arafat created the conditions for Moslem brotherhood". So,relax and enjoy it!

"an Israeli plot in order to make sure that the international isolation of Hamas".

thats why hamas as a first step had to close the tunnels, and israel got advanced security concerns... would that be a deal ? egypt opens border in return for gilad + closing tunnels ?

"If you play with fire you get your fingers burned. In this case your whole project will burn. America is paying the price of its folly, so will you".

it is only possible is Stupid America do the job for its illegitimate child.

gaza is a very difficult hair raising place. we can live with hamas but we have to feed them several people a day.that is the only way to placate them

to flourish Arafat the Egyptian,was a crook and a thief who enriched himself at the expense of his people. Try blaming Israel for that

for daring to occupy gaza you are quite right welshman.we deserve to be shot at for decades for this any idea when they might stop shooting welshman?

For Gilad Shalit sounds a perfectly logical progression

"israel left gaza in 2005 yet gaza continues to make war.have you ever thought about gaza`s continuous need to inflict violence on us?" Bears sometime invade bee hives yet they aren't surprised when they get stung even after leaving the hive yet it seems you are surprised. Israel should neve have been in Gaza in the first place yet you cannot understand that Israel gets attacked in retaliation for doing so. and as for being attacked outside of Gaza, that really depends on where you think Gaza ends and Israel begins but that's a whole other messy debate!

israel left gaza in 2005 yet gaza continues to make war.have you ever thought about gaza's continuous need to inflict violence on us?

indeed we have pierre starting from the oslo you know so well.israel has no need to send its young soldiers to be killed.that is why we made the offers at camp david and the recent olmert offer.both rejected. pierre how likely is it that we a nation of five and a half million jews do not want peace?do you think you want peace for us more then we do for ourselves?is that patronising attitude the right approach?

Ever considered the alternative, Shlomzion? To make peace? Wars don't seem to work too well, do they?

we have to rethink our actions.more covert operations and less invasions. the spirit of the idf and israel derring do which hit naj hammadi october 1968 green island the lifting of the radar from egypt the beirut airport operation. in other words "by ruses shall ye make war"

exterminator once told me, you can't totally get rid of cock roaches but you can send them to a much lower order of existence so that you may live practically bug free. You can keep them out of your home ! Likewise, Hamas needs to be sent to a much lower order of existence where life is not worth living and they can only regret each days dawn. Then one can live without fear of these vermin.

Making a threat out of thin air me thinks. Hamas would be very stupid to think that this would ever be a successful strategy to follow , particularly given the current climate.

Hamas has no strategical interest whatsoever at this point of time to get in trouble with Israel. Honestly, to me, the whole thing sounds rather like an Israeli plot in order to make sure that the international isolation of Hamas and the lock down of the Gaza strip will continue. It simply makes no sense the other way around from a logical viewpoint....

A democratically elected government that wants to keep carrying out actions that are morally indefensible must keep its population living in fear, so that the people wont question the actions and find a way to justify them. And whenever world opinion turns against Israel, there must be "threats" - or even events - to turn sympathies back to Israel.

Once upon a time there was a boy. He wanted attention and found that if people were afraid of something, they paid more attention to him. So, one day to see their reaction, he cried, "Look out! There's a wolf near the sheep." The village asked all kinds of questions and then put together a group of hunters to seek out and kill the wolf. The hunters went out and looked. But they couldn't find the wolf. So they went back to the boy and asked him for more details on where he saw the wolf. Not knowing what to say, he made up more of a story and the hunters went out again. But again they found nothing. The next week again, he cried out, "Look out, there's a wolf out there." And again they came and questioned him and sent out the hunters. After repeating the same adventure four weeks in a row, the village decided the boy only wanted attention. So when he really did see a wolf near the village sheep, they ignored him. And they lost three lambs.

As a means to fight the PLO and Arafat, Israel helped create and empower hamas in the late 80's and early 90's. A known fact. The U.S. helped create and empower the mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 80's as a means to fight the Soviet occupiers. Now they have to deal with the taliban and their sidekicks al qaaeda. If you play with fire you get your fingers burned. In this case your whole project will burn. America is paying the price of its folly, so will you.

Yes, but there would be one less and that would benefit humanity.

and you know so much being nice and comfy and safe in the USA. Ever serve your country?

the muslim brotherhood is the oldest political ismamic society in the world..older than the zionist state...no one knows how many muslim brothers there are but there are lots...the muslim brotherhood exist in every coutry in the world...they are considered moderate compared to al qeada or talibahn because they believe in democracy and talking to the west...hamas IS the palestinian muslim brotherhood and is supported worldwide

Them

If the U.S took out Iran and sryia and Israel took out Hamas and Hezbulla that would send a clear message to to the other terrorists to behave themselves..then their would be real potential for a durable peace..

to be removed from office then go back into Gaza and do Cast Lead all over again and this time don't come out until there is no Hamas or they have all fled to Egypt or something. Egyptians will capture them, throw them in prison and torture them anyway. Barak has screwed up in Lebanon and Gaza. No sooner was he in either than he wanted to cut and run. Israel needs brave leadership , not Barak !