"In spite of repeated assassinations, barrages and incursions, the terrorists continue to lob rockets and missiles into Israel at will. The principal reason, in their view and in mine, is Israel's paralytic fear of negative world opinion and of inflicting enemy civilian casualties. As Fouad Ajami of The Johns Hopkins University has observed, the terrorist "always works with the winks and nods of the society that gives him cover."

"So, if the Jewish state does not conquer its fears and inflict more, not less, collateral damage in the places from which the terror emanates, it will surely die."

Bingo. The propaganda front, in general, is much like the military front in general terms, they are both primary fronts in the overall ideological war. Iow, Israel needs to act smartly on both of those fronts in a coordinated fashion while keeping in mind that, at base, it is in fact an ideological war, thus too a war of hearts and minds. That's why Patreaus's surge has been successful in Iraq, because sui generis aspects of that campaign were adapted to, while keeping the fundamental principles that constitute the conflict always in mind. Then, with those principles in mind, maintaining a forward, offensive and "progressive" posture.

Supporters of Israel who are mystified at Israeli passivity - check out Rabbi Daniel Gordis' article, which nails it: a lack of connection to Jewish roots has eroded the secular elite's ability to articulate a reason for the Jewish state.

That's why the Labor-Likud divide is also a secular-religious divide: people with a living connection to Judaism have no problem justifying Israeli self-defense.

Sol - this one is worth a post and a link. Many great pull-quotes.

Read the whole thing:
http://www.danielgordis.org/Site/Site_ViewDispatches.asp?id=16

... and Gordis is not some ultra-orthodox kook - he's a scholar at the Shalem Center.