U.S. tough love is the kind Israel needs

Those so called Israeli settlers are in the immortal words of T.S. Eliot where they ought not to be... And indeed, I will take this one step or two steps further and say all those beyond the 1947 partition line are in the same category also. I can't see how a people like the Jews in 1948 could declare independence in Palestine when the very word independence suggest owner-ship. Yet as we all know before 1947 many of the carpet baggers didn't own a patch of land in Palestine before 1947. Thus that makes this whole perception of a Jewish homeland and your nationalism a farce. Do people get that over there as this whole is- sue is opening before our eyes today in the states and there is no way anyone I know is ac-cepting Israel's right to exist under such a falsehood. The truth must come out... Dutch

Obama was foisted upon us by a coalition of international bankers and media elites. His popularity has dropped precipitously as more Americans realize that he does not represent our interests. Most patriotic Americans support Israel, because they realize that if it werent for Israel, the wrath of radical Islam would be currently raging on our shores. Stand firm Israel, and Gideon needs medicine

who says it's his?

Arafat took one and didn't buzz... they should have give one for Alfi in 1941... that would make prise quite an ombudsman's bill...

Sorry Gideon, but there is no such thing as "Israel" without the Torah. I know that you and your friends on Tel Aviv don't want to discuss your own religion. Perhaps you need some tough love and some real learning? Just because you insist on justifying the secular Jewish identity doesn't mean that it actually exists-it doesn't. No Torah, no Jew. The Anti-Self Defamation League www.tamingkorach.com

Obama does not speak for America. We should support Israel fully but we must also know when to step back. We have no right to tell Israel what to do and must respect their decision in regard to settlement expansions.

What Israel needs is tough loathing, tough disgust, and tough retaliation for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and for hijacking Judaism.

One of the oldest fantasies of the modern worlds crocks is that they could bring peace to Israel. I wonder how educated people can take tis as anything else than a joke. It's like a bear who teaches a hamster how to fly. What, please Mr Levy has changed appart that Israel has crossed another line without any negative consequence for it? This World will have to hit ground before anything truely changes. Q

"God of the Jews"s? Since when . Alfredo, you have added GOD to your possessions?

David in PA, can you hear my applause ?? I wish you could because you took the words out of my mouth. You speak emeth !!! David

Both sides must be pressured to compromise. Both need to make concessions.

You bring up good points, except as long as the U.S. "protects" Israel in the U.N. and basically gives WMD to Israel the U.S. will have the right to "preach" to Israel. Only when this stops should Israel be able to tell the U.S. to mind their own business.

You could have added that the USA also built nuclear weapons in secret,but your intent was to blame such secrecy as being evil.The Jews did not reject the Prophets.Their views are studied and commented on today as they were over 2000 years ago.The Jews also did not kill Christ - he was killed by the Romans,who killed hundreds of thousands of Jews at that time and during the rebellions of 70 CE and 135CE.He was a Jew as others of his group were.The concept of the Chosen People for the Jews did not end with Christ's execution.The issue of the messiah is one that cannot be ascribed to Christ,because of the "virgin birth."According to Jewish traditions,a messiah must be obtained through the male line.Among other requirements,since Christ is said not to have had a human father,he could not be the messiah.Hence, your belief is based on a false prophet.

Let me reword one sentence in the final paragraph as "America must now decide whether it's for us or with us" I totally agree that the US must not be blindly with Israel. That is not enough. Grown up people know that criticism from friends sometimes is the real measure of friendship. Nor do I think that anyone can seriously claim that the US have ever had a one-sided pro-Palestinian stand. On the other hand I would not agree with saying, as G. Levy does, that "Israel" has no intention to allow the Palestinians to be free. This government most probably hasn't, that goes without saying. But we must also remember that the right is presently in power in Israel as a reaction by the public opinion to years of kassam rockets and voiced threats by major Palestinian leaders. It would be great sometimes being treated to more reassuring terms than just threats, so that with time hawks on both sides could be replaced with more dovish leaders.

You are still up to your old tricks of using discredited sources for your defamation of the Jewish State.This statement that Sharon is allegedly responsible for making - that the Jewish people control America - is based on a hoax which originated from an Oct.31,2001 press release from a pro-Hamas group, the Islamic Association for Palestine(IAP).The IAP claims that it was obtained from a Kol Israel radio broadcast.Kol Israel denied that such a broadcast occurred.Your wild assertion,"America will do as it is told," with reference to Israel is nothing more than an anti-semitic chant of the ignorant.

your beautiful prose is such a magnificent volley of truth against Levy's diatribes and his pathetic cheerleaders of Jew hatred. Every country in the world should have come out in joy and praise for the rebuilding of our precious Hurva synagogue. Leave it to the arabs to wet their pants over anything progressive and G-dly. Hurva embarasses the arabs because it shows their disdain for other religions, it shows their embarassment for their wanton behavior against G-ds places of worship, it shows them that we rebuild and look up and show praise for quality life and are worthy of G-ds protection. Israel is finally waking up from its coma induced by leftist thinking and dastardous deeds and with G-d's help will stand up against the folly of the world.

Israel built their nuclear weapons in secret just like Iran. Pakistan, India and North Korea also have nukes without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. They're rouge regimes with nuclear weapons just like Israel. Gaza is all the proof needed to see the cruelty of the Israeli defense force. The tribe of Judah rejected the Prophets and killed Jesus Christ and have suffered because of it. (Matthew 23 in the New Testament). Judah lost their position as Gods chosen people which their history proves. Israel would love to attack Iran if the U.S. wasn't standing in the way. Israel's propaganda is mostly lies and definitely one sided.

nihilism by liberals is the issue.The Arabs will not stop , and cannot stop the military assault on Israelis until death. They are not equipped to ever change.Historically, there is no reason to cede anything to them,You, Mr. Levy, are addicted to the self induced mental disorder called liberalism.

Israel needs to be rescued from the idiocracy of far right-wingers and settlers, who have hijacked the country and made any possibility of peace imposible.

we are at a moment where the old zionist strategy starts to fail finally: intimidate, PR-initiatives to show that Arabs are the bad guys (MEMRI...), arms twisting in the US, confuse people about the real nature of the conflict thru an endless media offensive. By now the entire world knows: it is about land grabbing and even after a century of it Israeli's don't want to give up. But it is clear now: Israeli's are not the good guys in this story, the majority of the country is extremely right wing and hyper nationalist, i.e. the types who wrecked most of the havoc in the last 2 centuries.

The writer talks about "...applying pressure on Israel to begin withdrawing to its own borders." I guess he means the 1949 Armistice Lines. Maybe he means the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan! Who knows what he means. There is no "occupation" in Gaza and what does Israel get? Hamas and exploding rockets. Israel signed the Oslo Accords with that punk gangster, Arafat, and they got Intifadeh.

Israel - addicted friendship between two nations means giving Israel carte blanche Israel does not truly intend to pursue peace, complacent, belligerent and condescending Israel of today. assistance on security and economic issues, the campaign against Iran's nuclear program and diplomatic support of Israel - can all be conditioned on an end to the occupation. America must now decide whether it's for us or against us HEY,I THINK WE FIND THE ADVISER OF HAMAS.READ PARTS OF HIS ARTICLE.THIS ISRAEL LOVER IS A CAMOUFLAGE OF A DEEP ANTI ISRAEL LOVER

... since when US became Israel's father? And if you do like this parallel, then bear in mind our president just incited a pogrom. What would you say about father calling out street bullies to beat down and rape own daughter? For what? She whishes to build her home with Montekky? I don't think we are anybody father. And I also think Mr. Levy has replaced journalism with inflammatory demagoguery. And his half - hearted attempt at mia culpa is too lame.

~~~ Israel is the most aggressive country in the middle east attacking neighboring counties with little or no reason~~~ I think I can see how your heart is full of anti Jews/Israel till cannot see the difference. Are you sure Israel is the most aggressive country..... attacking neighbouring countries? Do you see Israel attacking Iran now?

~~~ Israel has illegal nukes and has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which Iran signed.~~~ Did you go to logic school when you are in High School or Uni? How come something is illegal when she does not even sign the treaty? What treaty can rule her? What law can rule her? Your emotion is so high till your brain stuck in inconsistency. Socrates said "the unexamined life is not worth living", I said "the unexamined notion, isnot worth following..

~~Americas relationship with Israel was the cause of 9/11 and other terrorist activities. ~~ Sometimes I feel pity to people that are so ignorant about the real reason behind terrorism. Even facts are laid clear and open, these people can see the truth. Deanne, have you read Koran? Hadith of muhammad? Did you know that in Islamic holy book the one that muslims to follow instruct to kill the Jews, Christian and infidel? While we are talking at the moment, do you know that in Nigeria Muslim cut Christians tongues? They came to Christian village at 2am and burn their houses and kill them when caught? Terrorist activities in USA or anywhere else is not because of Israel but because of the teaching of Islam. This notion has opened the mind of Geert Wilder thus he compiled the teaching, event, terror of Islam into a movie FITNA. So to blame Israel for the terrorist activities by muslim is to commit deception on your part.

Gideon Levy is absolutely right. The US has facilitated and turned a blind eye to Israel's addictive/destructive/racist behaviour for far too long. Sadly, the only chance of redeeming the country now seems to lie with a foreign leader - a sad comment. I don't know if Obama will stick to his guns and force Israel to do what is right, but we can only hope that, this time, the US proves it is the superpower in the relationship.

America is enemy that pretends to be friend. The obama administration after over arching condemnation received lots of criticism in USA. Thus, they tone down not because they want it but they hope can win USA public for the next election. Without the complain and push from US congressmen, he will pressure Israel even more and at the same time say it is a tough love. What about we give obama a tough love? A love with the truth in it which is he is not a natural born usa and illegal president?

recognition that we too are humane, with feelings. We hurt, we cry, when we are hurt. We reach out our hand in friendship and help and shower our love over people (ANY people indiscriminately), who are kind and friendly to us... without prejudice, too, I want to add. The world has kept denying this for well over 2000 yrs: our humaneness that is. The Israelis *are* very LOVING people. A FACT! Global hatred keeps painting a different image of us and sabotage us by turning even our private actions against us like the recentmost inauguration of Hurva synagogue showed; it has nothing to do with Arabs: Israel*s internal affair. The world approaches the Israelis through "conditions" on their friendship. YET, friendship is unconditional. There is an anecdote: "the forest echoes back the same way you speak to it". Is it really fair to reproach *only* Israel all the time and refuse to see the forest from its trees? I think not.

Americas relationship with Israel is one sided in favor of Israel. Israel has no loyalty to America. Israel attacked the USS Cole for no reason. Americas relationship with Israel was the cause of 9/11 and other terrorist activities. Israel wanted a war with Iraq and now Iran which the U.S. can't aford in men or money. Israel has illegal nukes and has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which Iran signed. Israel is the most aggressive country in the middle east attacking neighboring counties with little or no reason. America needs to stop military aid to Israel to use against innocent civilians. The Palestinians are the only people still affected by the Holocaust. When America like the rest of the world holds Israel accountable for the crimes committed there will be peace in the Middle East. Open your eyes Obama and hold Israel accountable.

'if only the world were perfect and muslims BEHAVED LIKE HUMAN BEINGS! Hardman is alleging that they're untermenschen then, sub humans. Where have we heard that one before? He continually reveals the TRUE face of the Zionist right - forget God and the Torah, it's all about Arab-hating, anti-Semite, jewish ethnic supremacism. As the precursor for land theft, violence and ethnic cleansing. Roll up, roll up, join the Zionist Klux Klan today, meet at the back of Hardman's trailer home...

Israel's "long term security" is based in two simple truths... defensible borders and a non-nuclear Iran. For the first to be a reality, Israel retreating to Levy's view of its borders means Tel Aviv gets showered with Kassam rockets... hardly defensible and plainly insecure and unsafe for the population center. For the second, Israel needs their "friends" in my country to back them, for when the time comes it will be Israel blowing up Iran's nukes - not the US.

Barack Hussein Obama and a second term in office? Good joke. The DemocRATS will suffer a crushing defeat in the midterm elections and "The One" can be lucky if there is no impeachment against him.

I offer to show this fool Gideon Levy some "Tough Love" but I guarantee he will not enjoy it.

A power struggle between Barack Obama, the US President, and Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM. Sounds like a mismatch to some and the feeling that Israel should give instead of trying to undermind the Presidency of the first African-American President, with battle troops in two different war zones. Netanyahu's attempt to gather support from the US Christian Right and Republicans in general has run into trouble by the Petraeus briefing to Mullen. The Pentagon will look after their own, make no mistake about that, when faced with "us or them". Even the most ardent Israeli supporters will think twice before going after Petraeus. It has come to a show down between the young US President and the old Netanyahu. Obama supported by the whole wide world and Nethanyahu supported by the Israeli right wing fringe. It is a mismatch and it will only have one outcome, how severe is up to the Israeli PM.

Agree entirely. Palin and the partyers are the salvation of the american Nation.

Gotcha. I must say that your English has improved.

Try the scenario from the 1935 film Mutiny on the Bounty where the crew and officiers become so fed up with Captain Bligh's abuse & cruelty they lead a mutiny against him. This is where many Americans find themselves today also with Israel's abuse and cruelty towards the Palestinian people and they are rising up against the apologists that keeps this evil etity in place... Trust me there will be consequences and East Jerusalem will only be the tip of the iceberg. Dutch

Giving their children protection. Giving their children security. Giving their children a future. Because of the jew State something palestinians have been unable to give their children for one very long time. Surely they are no less deserving than those of whom you speak.

The analogy Gideon makes with addiction is the hard to deny. Israel demonstrates all the classic symptoms; rabid denial, blaming, victimhood, pathological lying,hysterical justification etc, But the analogy might go too far in absolving responsibilty for the addicts actions. It is clear that Israel's settlement policy receives support only from fanatics and a few American Christian extremists - both of whose hold on reality, let alone morality is questionable . This alone should make the rational sit up and think, and importantly in a democratic society, protest against the actions of their gov.t. There are multiple victims of this settlement policy; Israeli democracy, America's reputation as a stalwart of justice, ME stability and those whose land is stolen.Israel and the US need to address all of these to achieve recovery.

That was in the past. The redeployment from Sinai. The Peace Treaties with Egypt & Jordan. However, that is the past. Far too long ago. Before Global Jihad and Iran. Never mind Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel has come of age. Israel will only make concessions if and when security issues are correctly addressed. Then we have the far right. Who are a driving force in the coalition. These fellows will not budge an inch. One can be sure of one major point. Iran's regime must be shocked that Israel has taken the Great Satan to task. They may be delighted, then they must also be terrified of this new right wing government that could well plunge the Regime into the depths of the Persian Gulf. For, the Global Jihad respect only tough and resolute governments, they tend to attack only the weak and handicapped. Get my drift..? Good day.

the wars were all for Nazi Imperialist Jews (zionazi)...now the nazi jews are detracting from those same wars they got us into....when is someone going to see that the wars were never in our best interest, on in nazi jew pigsreals? w/o the nazi jews the ME map would never need re-drawing....no invasion and occupation of iraq...nor affghan..osama would have gone home to saudi and retired after kicking ruski ass out of afghan...and we would all be fat and happy excdept for the nazi jews in pigsreal

Are you asking what are the jews doing in Sweden? Many of them have lived there always and part of them have escaped Poland, German, Lithunia ...and had the shelter there during the Holocaust. Same thing also in other Skandinavian countries. You know - those who escaped the horror of the war, were able also to go back to their homelands.And those who have stayed -they can live very confortably and are the part of the society in every way.

"America's relationship with Israel is important, but not as important as the lives of America's soldiers." Gen. Petraeus

What Israel needs is a competent government & not one that is run by extremists with a poodle of a prime minister, whose sole purpose in life is to last another day in office. This government has no shame in what it is doing not only to Palestinians on a daily basis but also to Israel's long term security. Forget how much Bibi & Obama love each other or not. Bibi is BAD FOR ISRAEL!!

Thank you PAUL !. In fact The Zionism leaders ,including the present leadership , of israel are behaving with the mentality of societies living in the Era 3000 B C. This is the core of our problems in ME and The world.

It would be better to transfer US tough love tovard Iran. US is a doctor without licence to practice tough love to Israel. US has no right to do that. When Obama is going to admit, that all the hupla aroud peace between Israel and Palestinians is dust in our eyes. You, mr. Obama cannot make peace only dealing with West Bank. How this is going to look? Where is Gaza? Before anything, make peace between West Bank and Gaza, so palestinians would be united, then turn to Israel. If you want to earn your Noble prize ( not only to get it)- do it wright.

A short term victory; for what? A very public insult for the most ardent supporter of Israel in this administration? We're at a critical stage to address the international stage about Iran and this is the 'way to conduct ourselves?' Foolish.

It works - at least as to the education of spoiled children. The most used advise to the parents is:"Put the limits and give love. Without limits you will have spoiled, selfish and undiciplined children who think that they can do whatever they want without taking care of the other's feelings and not knowing what is wrong or right. It is more moders version of the "Who spares the whip hates his child" (Bible)

of course american and mexican, and austrlian ... were settlers, and to take the land our civilsation had to kill and expropriate. But it was several centuries ago. It is no apologize, but it was another time, another age. This is precisely what I feel when I see how IDF is behaving anh how the plaestinian land is taken. It is behavior from another time. A lot of things happened in centuries. The world is not fair and perfect but we can say information, democracy...came more and more. Israel just cannot act as if it was middle age.

no doubt angelus believes that human rights and sexual and religious equality are high on the agenda of 1.2 billion muslims ??

Sorry Arieka but I live in california, you know its in America. We have more jews in America than in Israel. What they do in Sweden I have no idea.

Obama won the nobel peace price not thanks to his political actions but his promisses for the world peace. He is also aware of that situation and probably he knows that he will be remembered as the worst nobel owner ever if his administration goes on to support Israel`s wrong policies. this is the personal reason. But political reason is much more important coz although once they had once strong allies w/ Israel,other countries do not buy Israel`s excuses anymore. So, an american government promising a worldwide peace should prove itself over Israel first.

Settlers?? Aren't all the American, Australians New Zealanders Mexicans + Most South Americans Settlers

.....should the crazy Republicans win in 2012, we can once again forget about it. But how crazy would the American people have to be, to vote antother George Double U disaster into office....??? Well, actually the chances are pretty good that this won't happen, since all indications are currently pointing in the direction, that either the Republican party will be willing to follow the crazy ideas of Sarah Palin + Co, or we will have a third (right-wing) "tea-party" participating in the elections 2012, which would give Obama more or less a free ride into a second term.....

Isn't it nice to live in Sweden and have your own country . How manmy Jews would yo accept if we all leave or been or only being kicked out that is if we are luckly./ Don't talk about borders as all of them were imposed by various outsiders .

Who are the "American Free Press"? Some Nazi organization? Don't believe everything you read. In the Blues Brothers it was quoted: The Jews are using the Blacks as muscle, against you good White people. I have a feeling that this quote is just about as good as the one you quoted.

Vhardman writes: "if only the world were perfect and muslims behaved like human beings! peace would arrive for the first time since the world began" If I got my numbers right, there are roughly 1.2 billion Muslims. Perhaps our resident anthropologist--or is it racialist phrenologist?--has met all of them. Or maybe he has self-sufficiently concluded that every single one of them fails to behave like a human being. Did vhardman learn how to decide who truly behaves like a human being from Italian and German bureaucrats in the 30s and 40s of the last century?

Everybody knows that the Arabs just want to live unoccupied, betting on friendly camel races and pitching stones. The middle east has always been a warm friendly place where Arabs and Jews lived for centuries in blissful co-existence. It is intuitively obvious that if the Jews just left Israel there would be no conflicts in the middle east. As a matter of fact the whole world would be a warm safe fun loving place living in blissful harmony and concordance. Even the trains would run on time and the ovens.

The consequences of openly calling for your own country to be more vulnerable to murderers who daily speak of killing Jews will result in the death of Jews. This man is asking for the destruction of Israel and Haaretz is giving him the space to do it. The politics of the left is the blood of Jewish children and they are proud of their politics. So much for honor, so much for perception, so much for sanity. Let him give his children tough love, I suggest Israel give their children protection; I suggest Israel give their children security, I suggest Israel give their children a future.

if you think The American administration is so wonderful. why don't you move to america and live with obama care and a non existent growth economy.

How about this: Israel stops accepting 3 billion in annual aid and additional military aid from the U.S. (F-16s, Apaches, tanks, bombs, etc). And the U.S. will stop being the sole UN veto that keeps the rest of the world from imposing sanctions on Israel. Then Israel can do whatever it wants. Agreed?

Israelis and supporters love to point out that Israel is overwhelmingly supported by the American people. According to recent polls they are......some 60%..But the Atlanta Constituion news paper conducted their own poll, " do you support the settlements that Israel are building or should they stop building those very same settlements". Only 29% of the Americans that were polled supported continued settlement building, the rest were against it. It would take another bonehead insult to america to crush those polls favoring Israel. Remember all it takes is Obama to go on the TV like Eisenhower did in 1957 to force the Israelis out of the Sinai. Like I like to say support for Israel is a mile wide and a inch deep. There is consequences to your arrogance.

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE THE TIME FOR ACTION BY ISRAEL IS NOW! I BELIEVE IN AN ETERNAL ISRAEL. BUT AMERICAN SUPPORT OF SUCH CAUSE CANNOT BE BUTTRESSED SOLELY ON THE SHOULDERS OF AIPAC AND OTHER JEWISH PRO-ISRAEL LOBBIES FOR YEARS UNENDING. BEWARE, THEIR SRENGTH IS WANING IN THIS COUNTRY!

if only the world were perfect and muslims behaved like human beings! peace would arrive for the first time since the world began 1

It is people like you who are pathetic and this gives rise to others disliking Israel. Stand up on your own and stop depending upon us, the U.S., for your survival. Face it: Israel is a vassal state, a flunky country that does not have the ability to fend for itself. It needs big brother. Aren't you ashamed of that? Where is your self-worth? Are you always going to be another flunky country that cannot be responsible? Wake up. Grow up. Things are going to get bad for Israel and it is people like you who are the idiots, and not Gideon Levy.

Which borders does Gideon really mean? The ones promised to Moshe & Yehoshua ? The ones the French and the British decided after the first WW. The Peel boarders, The ones The U.N decided or the ones Hamasd and the Muslim world will accept , which means an artificial Island in the sea.

And I don't mean that his viewpoint is the same. It's the same article: Israel doesn't want peace. Putting aside that it is not true, the articles are boring and repetitive.

There is no though love. Of course the Americans will continue to support Israel and give it everything it needs to occupy and build settlements. This "diplomatic row" has the depth of a sheet of paper and doesn't mean anything. It will be soon forgotten and nothing will change. And in the meantime, people will take it for what it certainly isn't; a change in American policy. That's the frustrating bit. No matter how often it happens, they'll fall for it every time.

The US veto of UNSCR242 ensured the perpetuity of the Israeli occupation, and despite the protestations of the US about settlement building in E.Jerusalem, it won't raise the issue of occupation and illegal settlements within the security council - the US is an Israeli marionette and a total waste of space.

Ariel Sharon; did he, or did he not say, "We the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." (Reference: American Free Press)

"The facts are clear: Israel has no real intention of quitting the territories or allowing the Palestinian people to exercise their rights. Israel does not truly intend to pursue peace..." Spoken truly as a real leftist/neo-marxist, comrade Gideon. I'm just curious Gideon, when the kids were butchered at the Dolphinarium, or the people at the seder table in Netanya were exterminated was that arabs pursuing your idea of Peace? Somehow the arab desire to eradicate Jews or 40 thousand plus missiles don't add up to a threat for you-what does, a boxcar leading to an oven? You're pathetic!

I realize the Obama administration like all previous administrations expects Israel to act a certain way Israel is in no position to do so neither are the Arabs both sides are asked to make concesions neither wants to make but the king of Jordan is over re acting if he believes Israel wants to get rid of all Arabs in Jerusalem it is a matter of acepting that each has a place based on creation in the same area we share a comon created area more less finding a practicial way to manage it is the difficulty Israel is no war mongering state based up on genocide but neither does it want to give up claims to a share even to a share of the Golen Heights which the Arabs claim is totaly Arab is it the bible seems to suggest it is a divided area with mutual areas for both and so how to settle the claims is the thing America is asking the impossible of both sides because it could care less it is a middle east thing not a United Nations thing RIGHT ??? Thank You... M. S.

This would be 'tough love' as in me telling my fourteen year old I find it very distressing that he steals cars. Very, very distressing. He should stop. It would make his father happier if he stopped. Doesn't he care about his father's happiness? What about the feelings of all the poor people whose cars he's taken? If that's your definition of 'tough love,' this works.

The right wing Jewish groups in the United States will have a hissy fit and that will be the end of that. It's the oddest thing that there is a group in the USA that purports to support Israel and then denies the opportunity for any real positive change for Israel. This lobby group has a lot of power of influence through a lot of propaganda, threats and intimidation.There are a lot of big Jewish campaign donors too. Our government (the US) is controlled for the most part by various lobbies, Wall Street, insurance companies, defense contractors, drug companies, agribusiness etc. That's just the reality of the situation. It ain't the democracy you read about in the text books. So, watch what happens when President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton try to move the process along. Just read the NY Times about what the Israel lobby groups do. No real pressure can ever be put on Israel because of the Jewish lobby in the USA.

The author must see the americans as his G-d, forgetting the G-d of the Jews. When has America been right with reference to the objectives of the people apart from its own agenda?. Never. Look at the world for goodness sake. Cuba, Chile, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq. etc,etc. So based on those blanders the author of the article thinks that America can lead Israel - to what - more disasters. Why not let Israel and any part of the world lead itself. Do not forget, America only supported Israel after it saw, that Israel had the power to be an Ally for its own interests. Where was america when israel was being create - together with the world, waiting for the jews to be destroyed by the overwhelming arab armies - Am I wrong?. America has enough poverty and problems at home, and it has shown that it can not even look after those internal problems, let alone the world. America - fix your own problems first, and when you are Perfect in every sense - then, and only then - Preach to the world.

Gideon,You are naive if you expect the Obama Administration to push for the end of Israeli occupation. The task of dismantling the settlements should be the task of the Israeli people, if they want to end the cycle of violence and discrimination.

You mean powerful *Likud* lobby. AIPAC wants to be known as Israeli, sure?or better yet, Jewish; all the better to claim to represent the greatest number of people at once, and cow Congress as much as possible. Congress implicitly wants to avoid opposing Jews just because they're Jews, which can be construed as anti-Semitism. But strip off the mask and AIPAC represents neither most Jews nor most Israelis. It's just Likud. It's just the settlers. And the sooner we Americans as a whole, like many of us Jewish Americans, realize that, the sooner we can get down to opposing them.