From Today's Papers:

Everybody mentions Israel called off an airstrike against a Palestinian militant's home after about 200 neighbors and supporters ignored the warnings of the impending bombing and went into the house. The Palestinians claimed victory, but the Israeli military said it was yet another example of how militants use civilian shields to protect themselves.

Ever notice how there's seems to be a bit of condescension or confusion whenever a foe uses assymmetrical warfare? It's sort of like "hey that's not fair! Cummon, sit still and let us kill the guy!" Or if they use a terrorist tactic it's like there should be a referee that emerges from the smoke, blowing a whistle and throwing a flag, then clicking his microphone to announce, "improper warfare tactics on al Qaeda, fifteen yard penalty from the spot of the foul".

In this case the Israeli military seems to be snarling about the fact that militants "use" civilians. How can they tell the difference between a "militant" and a "civilian"? I'm not sure that those "civilians" would view themselves as having a distinction. When you've got little to lose and you're fighting an overwhelming conventional force, maybe they see themselves as soldiers? Hello!

I've written here before about the concept of equalization of power. People will always find a way, some way, to equalize the power disparity between themselves and others. Israeli's (and for the most part Americans) believe that if faced with overwhelming power you can "force" someone to submit and "win" (as an aside, this includes personal relationships and parenting as well). This assumption has been demonstrated over and over again throughout history as erroneous. Until the inherent power of the "militants" is recognized .... and more importantly respected .... a peace settlement will be impossible. Israel certainly should know this by now. But then, some people continue to believe the world is flat.