Well said, Gary. The U.S. has coddled and at the same time kowtowed to Israel for far too long. It's time to stop the madness and hold them accountable...without feeling like doing so somehow makes us Holocaust supporters and anti-Semites. This isn't a "Jewish" thing, it's an "Israeli" thing. And they need to begin acting like a responsible nation rather than a rogue state bent on fomenting ill will and perpetual war. Or, perhaps, that's just what they want, much the same as the neo-cons who blindly support Israel.

Hopefully, more Americans will begin to see Israel for what it is, namely a bully that is fast running out of friends who are willing to put up with all their nonsense. I'm sorry, but their free "pity pass" from the Holocaust has long since expired. It's time to start having some pity and legitimate concern for those who deserve it: the Palestinians. They have my support. Israel can take a hike!

Israel is not our friend. A friend does not accept hard-earned American tax dollars, buy U.S. weapons, make its own weapons of mass destruction and wage inhumane genocide on its neighbors. This is not the behaviour of a friend. Israel is taking advantage of our pity to act as we have in attacking a surrounded and imprisoned people (remember preinvasion Iraq) who are starving due to our neglect and the zionists' seige of Gaza.

In addition, you can forget any leadership from Obama (not a peep to date) on this subject as he has already sold out to AIPAC. "President-elect Obama claims to be a pragmatist", as you say, but he has already passed up his chance to prove it. "He has the opportunity to change course, to start pursuing Mideast policies that work" but he won't. He won't "make it clear to Israel that the blank check is expired, the amen corner disbanded" because that would lose him support from the AIPAC lobby.

The result will most certainly be another attack on our homeland with the obligatory death and destruction because... Israel rules.

Is that you have to figure out a new strategy to use when your enemy employs them. I, at least, believe it is morally wrong to shoot at a terrorist standing in a crowd of preschoolers, no matter how many people have been killed by said terrorist, or his or her terrorist organization. And besides being morally wrong, it is also stupid.

There is nothing more vile, heinous and evil, than a person who opposes warfare waged on a civilian population, right?

Say hi to Hitler when you get to hell.

blah blah blah if you don't 100% support Israeli aggression you support Hamas. What a new and interesting "argument". Just another Israel-firster looking for a mark in order to play The Game.

I'm sure a hardcore right-winger like Amy is posting this from Tel Aviv, having already flown to Israel to fight the good fight, and in a matter of hours will be bloodying up her new IDF uniform fighting in Gaza. I bet she is so hardcore about it that the rest of her family is with her and they are ready to show all the Israel-hating pussies out there how tough she is.

Reading Amy's letters, I wish Derbig Mooser would come in here and give her one of his Zionist Smackdowns. She even goes so low as to pull the irrelevant "What about US and the Native Americans" fallacy. I wonder why she has such contempt for America?

"the thing about human shields

Is that you have to figure out a new strategy to use when your enemy employs them."

Sadly, that's easier said than done.

Go on, try to do it. I've tried. I'm mulling it over right now.

Presumably, we both have some spare time and the safe distance to consider the matter reflectively, as an abstract exercise.

Let me know if you come up with an answer that you think is plausibly effective.

I could not disagree more. The international community's exquisitly reasoned and seemingly rational arguments against Israel are being cunningly and painfully forced into place by people who for the most part live in a largely secular world where religious beliefs have been carefully tamed, powdered and perfumed into a lovely Piccasolike dove of peace greeting card. Hamas is the elected government of the people of Gaza and should be protecting them. How are they doing that? What is the rationale for lobbing missles from its densely civilian populated cities into Israel and refusing to accept the existence of Israel? It is not rational, it is religious belief. These people do not care one iota about protecting the hum drum secular lives of ordinary people, in fact they despise any compromise as weak capitulation and selling out to the evil infidels. They embrace the egocentric fantasies of the holy martyrs who are not only willing to kill themselves but ultimately desire to drown in a pool of blood and mayhem the entire civilized world in order to get themselves a prime seat next to the Prophet in heaven where they can bask eternally in his light and glory. Yes, really. So, in view of that, just how can sucking up to Israel and the western powers compare or make sense? What troubles me, is that do gooders and reasoned westerners insist on believing that these crazy fanatics are victims and are somehow only murdering out of "desperation" in order to help their people. Yeah, so tell me, just how does that work? It doesn't add up because they are not desperate, just deeply deluded and drunken on the fabulous dreams generated by their own irrational beliefs.

Plain and simple. Hamas's goal is to destroy the state of Israel, and nothing else.

Israel doesn't need the support of the politically insignificant minority of Americans who don't and won't support us. Public opinion polls show consistent, long-term support of the US people, and the Congress and president-elect Obama are with us, not you, on the issue of Israel.

The support we are getting from the major European countries, as well as Egypt & Saudia Arabia, is icing on the cake.