I won't be surprised if Likud win. Labor did what I've seen happen over and over again in American politics--the Democrats act like Republicans, taking on their speech patterns, borrowing their message and all but supporting the same policies, minus a few like pro-choice. And it doesn't win them votes as people won't go for the imitation; they go for the real thing.  If I were Israeli, I wouldn't vote for Labor in a million years. But I wouldn't vote Likud either. Yet from a voter's standpoint, they do seem like a more unified party that will achieve its objective. A Likud government is not an encouraging concept with the climate that exists now in the Mid-east. But I don't think it will be impossible for other countries to work with them on foreign policy. A lot does depend on the United States--part of me resents that as I believe the war wouldn't have happened if the Bush administration hadn't given Israel the eight years of enabling. Yet putting much hope in Obama may prove wrong; no prominent American politician will go against Israel. But Obama may ease things--we must see.I agree with your fear about the more far right parties gaining ground. This points to the fact that emotionally Israelis are all over the place, and the far right have always been a santuary for such unease as their solutions are very clear. Yet I think they represent a minority; however, that minority will go out and vote.Israel has an admirable democracy; I wish we had it here. Why can't a political party, based on a coalition between the Arab citizens of Israel and those who want peace with Palestinians, yet still want to maintain the integrity of an Israeli  state become a reality? I looked up all of the parties and saw nothing of the kind, but maybe I am missing something. I think  many young voters in Israel would support such a party--they are the ones most prone to apathy and many already have seen war recently.

I remain appaulled at the atroscities committed by the IDF in Gaza, yet I come from a military family; I know soldiers well enough to say that this is not something they necessarily want to do. When a soldier is trained to be the best, it is actually an insult to his training to shoot children in the back and kill zoo animals.  And Israel has a well-trained army. It wouldn't surprise me if some of those soldiers feel betrayed by what they had to do in Gaza--that doesn't excuse them, but  soldiers take orders and someone told them to do what they did. Those men could go either way in the voting process, but many who want to be soldiers for Israel, are sick of the occupation. They may support such a political party. Just a thought.

Susan. I too came from a military family. 5 of the 6 brothers served in the US military 3 in the Army and 2 in the Marines, including one brother who retired from the Army. All I can say is that we were trained to be soldiers, but not cold blooded murderers like the case was in Gaza. When Mai Lai massacre took place it was the honorable soldiers who reported Lt. Kally in. No soldier in their right mind will commit the kind of crimes committed by the IDF in Gaza or for that matter in Lebanon. The reason they do it because they are told to do it, and are told they will get away with it, and because the Palestinians have been so dehumanized that killing them in cold blood is simply OK. Not so much different from the days in Germany when killing and murdering a Jew was simply Ok. Israel is what it is because it gets its support from the US and it gets billions in aids from our Congress and billions from rich American Jews, with that kind of support of course they get away with murder. Did you hear of any single politician or a single American Jewish leader who simply said, stop, it is time to end the Occupation. If you know of one, please let me know. Such superiority and such contempt for the Palestinians!.

Begin, the former Likud leader signed a peace agreement with Egypt. Rabin from the Center signed a peace agreement with Jordan.

With the right in power again, history shows that the chances for peace are higher than when the left is in power.

Michael, I do agree that it was Begin who signed the peace agreement with Sadat not Labor. However Sinai is not the West Bank or Gaza and is not disputed territories like the Jews claim the West Bank is. Israel did leave Gaza but locked it behind walls. So the occupation never came to an end in Gaza. Not so sure if Israelis and beyond them the American Jewish community is interested in peace. Well, I guess we all or at least some of us pray for peace, that can keep us as neighbors and as friends and yes as cousins, though I do not think that Lieberman could ever be my cousin. I would say if Israel decides to leave and end the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and share Jerusalem, I would say 90% of Palestinians will agree to peace. I think the Palestinians are more amenable to peace than Israelis and Jews. Look the Arabs including Saudi Arabia signed on the Arab Peace Plan which calls for peace and normalization of relationship with Israel provided it ends its Occupation and share Jerusalem. Well, I always can go back to what Bibi said, Peace for Peace.. that is what the Israelis want. They want peace for themselves and they want peace for the Palestinians with them as the Occupying power. It does not work that way. When the Israelis and Jews start talking about ending the Occupation then I will believe in a chance for peace. And Yes, for the Palestinians, I think there should be massive civil, peaceful uprising, no guns, no suicide bombings, just sustainable civil uprising until the end of Occupation, and yes chase the guys in Ramallah out of country.

Sami, if the Palestinians reject terror and disarm, and have a true representaion of themselves as a people, then the rest can be negotiable.

They must drop their dream of all Palestine for them, and the return of all the refugees to Israel.

Michael. Thanks. Will Israel and the Jews also reject Israeli and Jewish terrorism and stop sponsoring the funding of the Israeli killing machine. We will negotiate only with those within Israel who also abandon the use of state and settler's terrorism and who are committed to ending the Jewish Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Otherwise there is simply nothing to discuss or negotiate. One does not negotiate with a thief who is robbing your house and holding a gun to your head. When will the world Jewish community accept and recognize that Israel was founded in terrorism and never abandon terrorism. let us for a change switch roles, you become the Palestinian terrorist and I become the Jewish terrorists. Fair deal, yes. When Israel abandon the West Bank and Gaza then know the Jews are serious about peace. Otherwise all this talk of peace is nothing but PR.

Michael, sorry but the only one who do not see themselves as terrorists are the Israelis and their Jewish supporters. The Nazis too did not see themselves as Nazis when committing their crimes against Jews. Israel was born in terrorism and it is the only terrorist state in the world. No, Israel does not target civilians, only use Israeli sharp shooters to kill 500 children. Like I said, I like the idea of switching sides and let the Palestinians take the place of Israel and go after Tel-Aviv and do to Tel-Aviv what the Jews did to Gaza, may be then you can understand what terrorism is. I guess we do not see eye to eye and we could not agree on one thing. all the best.

Sami, you are misinformed as a former army person, you should know better, why would Israeli sharpshooters kill children? Give me one reason, you are making no sense. The Gaza campaign was implemented to stop the Hamas rockets from firing onto Israeli towns. 

I doubt that Israeli sharpshooters did much deliberate targetting of children. That being said, sharpshooters are often in the position of aiming at anything that moves, even when they can't be sure if the movement is related to hostile intent. On a regular battlefield, this makes sense; but when you are outside a residential neighborhood, full of civilians trying to get stuff done (secure food, medical attention, water), then of course many civilians are killed.
If Israeli security is dependent on the deaths of Palestinian children, then maybe it is the wrong approach over all.

The few children that were harmed, were accidental, and most likelt were put in harms way by Hamas, and are in no way shape or form part of any Israeli security plan.

Sorry, gentlemen, but there were cases in which children were deliberately shot. And my sources were European and Asian. Also, if you look at the numbers, the causality rate among children was high. But I do grant you that I doubt the majority of the IDF wanted to do this or chose to do this.

I agree that the IDF behaved no worse than American soldiers in Vietnam and Iraq, nor do I excuse them. We find out about atrocities (usually) when other soldiers expose them; that was true of Iraq and Vietnam.  I cannot speak for Gaza, but I have talked to Israeli soldiers who served in Lebanon and did not like what they did--obviously, these are a few, but there are rules of war and soldiers know when they cross the line.  But often when some cross that line, they are beyond caring as they have gone into what Dr. Jonathan Shay calls the "beserk" state.

The death toll in Gaza was definitely horrendous. Over 1300 people killed half of them civilians is a unspeakable tragedy. But any other state in the world could not suffer the constant attacks of  rockets and mortars. Israel the IDF had no choice. Restoring deterrence was the only course of action in this situation even though it is debatable whether it achieved that objective.
And pertaining to your conversation the killing of civilians is a terrible act but it is impossible to avoid civilian casualties while fighting a war. Also, Israel takes strident measures to avoid civilian casualties by calling houses before they are bombed and dropping leaflets on targeted areas. But because of the large population density in the strip, civilian casualties were unavoidable.

Who is doing the DELIBERATE killing in Gaza?
Perhaps the Amnesty International report, which you can see in its entirety can help.

10 February 2009

Palestinian Authority: Hamas’ deadly campaign in the shadow of the war in Gaza.  Since the end of December 2008, during and after the Israeli military offensive which killed some 1,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, Hamas forces and militias in the Gaza Strip have engaged in a campaign of abductions, deliberate and unlawful killings, torture and death threats against those they accuse of “collaborating” with Israel, as well as opponents and critics.

for entire report check: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE21/001/2009/en/9f210586-f762-11dd-8fd7-f57af21896e1/mde210012009en.html