For the record, I am also from North America (I've been in Israel for over 15 years), and I live in the southernmost tip of the "Katyusha zone". I found your comments terribly condescending and offensive, not to mention way, way off the mark. How dare you patronize us with your assumptions that we are "viewing events and attitudes as if they were occurring in North America instead of Israel", simply because we choose to believe that there has to be another way? Our lives are normal. I go to work everyday, stopping for latte on the way. I meet up with friends, go shopping, spend time with my family, go sightseeing in the north and in the south, etc. We do not hide in fear, waiting for the next terror or missile attack, and I daresay that Israelis throughout the country live their lives in much the same way. I do not dodge bullets or missiles on my way to work, and it greatly pains me that people living in Sderot are not so fortunate in that department. During the war last summer, we were hosting family from the north, and I spent my days wondering when Nasrallah was going to aim for our town (and he came close on a number of occasions). While out walking my dog, I would plan every step of the way where I would run to take shelter if the sirens started (and we did have a few sirens). I heard how my son's nursery school teacher and her assistants carefully yet quickly shepherded all of the children (all under age 3) into the reinforced room when the sirens went off, and I wondered what I would do if Katyusha rockets hit my train during my daily commute. I have had too many close calls with terror attacks, including one that I missed by mere minutes at a train station, as well as missing one at a mall in Tel Aviv many years ago, when the bomber blew himself up exactly 24 hours after I had been standing on the exact same spot. If you are a faithful reader of Lisa's blog, you will surely know the following: Lisa is about as Tel Avivi as they come. Not only is she fluent in Hebrew, she has many Israeli friends and acquaintances, and is one of the most well-informed (not to mention well-connected) individuals I know with regard to Israeli culture. As a journalist, Lisa has spent a great deal of time in both the West Bank and Gaza, and has a number of Palestinian friends and colleagues. She also extensively covered the war this summer, spending time on the northern border, and can even distinguish between incoming and outgoing fire (can you?). Having spoken to her on the phone one night for two hours after she returned from the border, you can trust me when I tell you that she was incredibly aware of the situation, and was not just living in some bubble of normalcy in Tel Aviv. Lisa has also covered terror attacks, seeing the horrific, bloody scenes in a way that no one ever should. And, yet, despite all of this, like me, she believes that there has to be another way, believes that there are people on the other side with whom to talk. It is views such as yours (offered, perhaps, from the comfort of an armchair somewhere in North America?) that keep us running in place with no room for change, with no possibility to improve the region in which we live. Obviously, neither side in this conflict is perfect - far from it (and that would be both parties). We are not blind to that. However, if no one ever attempts to break the deadlock, if no one will be brave enough and smart enough to make and implement difficult decisions, and if no one will be bold enough to publicly think outside the box, that perhaps what has been done until now hasn't worked, and that something else must be tried, we will be stuck until the end of time. And that would be the biggest tragedy of all.