Israel may have no military option against Iran

the iran will bomb palestinians becouse bombs do not know who is Jewish

we do not care whether Israel is strong or weak, we do not pray for its weakness as Jewish people are praying for us, I am just happy that the possibility of a war which kills and destroy life of many innocents is lower. I hope one day both Israel and Iran find better way to speak to each other than blood and fire

iran is too dangerous to be intimidated and provoked , she can harm israel for many years to come and make life unbearable for israelis world-wide . use your smartness israelis and avoid escalatings tensions with iran . israel is no match for iran even if israel has 300 nuclear devices . iranians have the ability to poison and contaminate israel proper in any major war or if iran is attacked with nuclear weapons . so be wise israel if you want to survive in the quick sands of the middle-east .

“The only existential option is integrating into the region (a term coined decades ago by Uri Avnery)” very true! Indeed no nation can live by the sword forever…This reality has to sink in! It is not a delusional idea from wimpy leftists who do not grasp the danger surrounding Israel; it is a fact! Israel cannot survive in the long term without being integrated in its neighborhood…Once this strategic choice is absorbed and embraced by the Israeli public then peace may have a chance! It is true that a lot of those who do not wish success to peace talks on both sides will do everything to sabotage any possible deal, it is true that there are no strong and representative leaders in the other side that Israel can look to reach a workable deal, it is true that Israel is powerful now and does not need to make concessions to a weak and divided “enemy”, (and the list of “it is true that” can go on forever). Having said all of that, Israel must find a way to revive peace by taking small and big steps (e.g. stop playing politics with settlements, “help” Palestinians select strong and representative leaders that they trust and can negotiate on their behalf-[e.g. free up Marwan Albarghouthi], stop the siege on Gaza: Israel must show Palestinians that it really cares about them much more than what their “Arab brothers” who abandoned them…etc). In short, make Palestinians strategic partners to be able to integrate in the region; otherwise no chance! Do not worry about Iran or Hezbollah (make them international issues not Israeli ones), strengthen the internal front by treating Israeli Arabs and Palestinians with full rights and dignity…be creative! Think out of the box! Stop playing short term politics (I am sure Netenyahu will do everything to stay on power!) Don’t focus on the “enemy” Look at the mirror and ask the hard questions…before it is too late!

Israel enjoyed fighting classical wars with inferior armies of corrupt arab regimes. Given the situation and balance of armories, Arab and \palestininas would have tried popular wars. Palestine borders is long and idael for poular resistance. Hamas, and Hezbullah recently have shown the limitation of hightech arms and modern warefares. In 1948 and 1905's, there were muslim brothers inspired Jihadis fighting along Egypt borders and Gaza. Arab regimes did not tolerate these resistances because they would loose powers and reason to be. Israel must seriously prepare for not so bright future.

It is not as if no solutions were available to "prevent another Carmel". It is not an impossible mission to make the required adjustments and purchase the required equipment and implement proper training procedures.

These days it is extremely easy to design and build tens of thousands cheap, reasonably accurate land to land missiles . This is exactly what Iran has done. In addition Iran has made lots of short range, but very deadly anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. Any IDF attack on Iran will see lots of very expensive and non-replaceable Israeli aircraft end up as clump of metal debris on the desert. The same goes for the US navy and oil transportation. Iran has more than enough missiles to overwhelm their defenses and sink lots of ships, thereby sinking the US ability to fight and the US economy. Iran has check-mated Israel and the ONLY path Israel has is to get the best deal they can TODAY because the deals will only get worse as time goes on. In the near future, the US will be so weak and the Muslims so strong, Israel will be forced to accept a deal that means Israel essentially ceases to exist. So Israelis which is it - give up lots of land, water, cash and apologies for 1947 and everything that came after to get the best deal possible OR continued delusions until everything is lost. And do not lie to yourselves, because those are the ONLY two options. If YOU wait too long, a deal will be forced on Israel that virtually no Israel that is still left in the country will like.

Is Israel the only country that views a nuclear Iran as a real threat? Not according to the Wikileaks. Linking the Iranian threat to the Palestinian issue (peace) is distorting the truth. Hizbillah armed itself with thousands of missles in order to assist the Palestinians in their quest for a state is patently absurd. Listen carefully to what Hamas, Nassralah and Iran say and do not write it off as rhetoric.Are they offering us the proverbial olive branch of peace?

There's no solution with perpetual wars and relying on accelerated measures of sophisticated defense. This will not bring peace to the region. What concerns many of us is that Israel will implode following this type of thinking over the decades, when a resolution can be found by negotiations to bring an end to the conflict. In terms put differently, think of the financial and personal ruin a deplorable Bernie Madoff scheme took the life of thousands of innocents with him. Again, where's the Israeli peace initiative? We've seen the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002, but where's Israel's peace proposal? We have to be honest and state that in fact, an Israeli peace plan never officially materialized.

what if they won't allow you to integrate? Say that rather have you leave the ME voluntarily or have you dead? (Kinder Arabs may accept you as Dhimmis, if you don't mind the periodic progroms). So you have a good idea.but?

Mr. Levy should write a weekly column on that topic. Maybe it will help the rest of Israel catch up before it's too late. (The first step is integrating into the land of Israel. That means a state for the indigenous people).

It's you who has to respond, not the hot-headed nationalists, settlers, rejectionists, militarists, security advocates, annexation backers, hawks, rightists, patriots, rabble-rousers and messianics. I'm sorry for the wording, but your notion that peace (whatever definition of it) or "not attacking Iran" will save Israel from Iranian, Hezballah, Syrian or Hamas missiles is imbecile. There just is no other word for it.

I just hope the US isn't dragged into the next war

Of which firefighting is only one element of many that will be extremely overtasked. What about contingency plans - for emergency medical services, medical transport, medical and morgue facilities, doctors, police command and control, utilities- and the physical resources to support them...even provisions for emergency food and water. All these are critical for a population to weather, minimize, and survive the impact of a war...or even a natural catastrophe of epic porportion. Issuing gas masks just doesn't hack it. The most pragmatic and promising path toward Israel's security and future prosperity is a comprehensive peace with its neighbors, pretty much along the lines of the Arab peace offer, which would not only provide a unified regional front against its greatest perceived threat, but it would also eventually open avenues of trade and cultural cooperation which would likely bring a blossoming to the Israeli economy. But then, the current Israeli leadership isn't necessarily known for its pragmatism and foresight, so let's just hope they're smart enough not to start any wars.

Mr. Levy asserts that a diplomatic solution has been at Israel's doorstep for years. But Mahmoud Abbas rejected Ehud Olmert's peace offer. And Mahmoud Abbas still insists on the so-called "right of return," which most Israelis see as a back door plan to take over Israel.

To those who have a childish belief that military power may solve any problem the history of post WW II America is a grim reminder of reality. During that time we fought four major wars, Korea - ended by General Eisenhower as soon as he became President; Vietnam, lost after almost a decade, Iraq, which we are slinking out of now, and Afghanistan which we will soon abandon as lost. In the last three instances were were defeated by forces which were pathetically inferior in monetary and military resources. In each of those cases the cost of winning was far more than the US was willing to pay. The mistake in each case was hubris and blind faith in military power,not as a tool of policy, but as policy. Israel slunk out of Lebanon ten years ago after almost two decades of pernicious self-inflicted bleeding. Israel has now reached the point where every 'war' is a demonstration of shock and awe against feeble forces ending in a strategic defeat because the political cost - casualties - necessary to destroy the enemy is deemed unacceptable BEFORE the war is started. Sane individuals would reason that if the cost of winning was too high to pay, then one should not start the war. True Believers fantasize that the mere act of war will produce victory - painless and glorious victory. "We have met the enemy and he wuz us!" - Pogo Possum.