The Israelis behave like children using collective punishment whenever the Palestinians say or do something the Israelis do not like. They try to paint a picture to the world that the Israelis are always the innocent victims and the Palestinians are always the perpetrators of evil. The problem is that the rest of the world, including a growing number of Americans, is getting fed up with the continued expropriation of land, and the bombardment of Gaza which, after destroying 20,000 homes and killing more than 500 children does not translate into Netanyahu's fantastical claim about the IDf being the most moral army in the world. The Israelis need to try something different such as freezing settlements and spending some of those billions of shekels that are going to the settlers on improving the life of citizens, Jews as well as Arabs, that live in Israel. You can complain all you want about Obama but Israel's friends in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and here in America are decreasing every year. The way to stop the boycott and divestiture movement in its tracks is to stop thumbing your nose in the eyes of every country in the world.

hamas is a designated terror organisation. hamas has murdered thousands of israelis and has fired over ten thousand missiles into israeli territory. obama has destroyed lybia and turned into a failed state filled with jihadists. the huge stockpiles of lybian weapons have been stolen by jihadists who are using those weapons all over northern and sub-saharen africa to murder innocents. the neglect of syrian civil war and the appeasement of iran have given rise to the islamic state. israel is surrounded by well armed murderous enemies on all sides. the palestinian authority incites against jews and israel on a regular basis. it teaches its children to hate jews and to murder them. abbas has refused all offers for a state and prefers to try to destroy israel in the diplomatic arena. he will not succeed.

do what are essential non-violent diplomatic steps...by the Palestinians make Israel so incredibly mad? Why does Israel slip into panic-and revenge mode? Would it rather have violent resistance? And isn't Israel the master of the unilateral steps with all the building it does? So...why?

because they believe all the misinformation myths on Palestinians. Which Palestinian leadership was free of terrorists? 100 years of terror, and alliance with the major mass murderers, should be enough to deflate the misinformation lies. Probably not enough for the ambassadors of the misinformation, Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, Phylis Bennis, Philip Weiss....

Not that anyone cares about the law anymore when it comes to the arabs

Everything you said is exactly the opposite. Can I claim a room in your home? No, but the Arabs want it. Not only that, everything they have done is against international law and signed agreements

Substitute "the arabs" for Israel and you've got it. Otherwise you prove yourself to be deaf, dumb and blind.

claims. there must be a price to pay.

the arab palestinians joining the icc with the goal of claiming war crimes against israelis is not a "non-violent diplomatic step." to the contrary, it is an attempt by them to get through the icc what they cannot get through military means. the arab palestinians are encouraged by ngo's who are funded by european governments to take this route. they will be sorry they listened to the europeans.

Why is Israel supporting our mortal "Palestinian" foes, in the first place? It is pure lunacy!

The Palestinians have sat down at the negotiation table but they haven't lied down. It should seem clear to everyone that what takes place at these negotiations are not really negotiations! The purpose of negotiations is to reach a compromised solution and nobody seems willing to compromise. That being said is the reason for a third party a arbitrator so to speak, to which the U.S.A. has been but not really. In arbitration if the two sides cannot meet somewhere in the middle then the arbitrator is supposed to make a fair and decisive decision, and both sides agree to have this outcome as binding. This process is meant to encourage both sides to negotiate in good faith as if left to the arbitrator the outcome is uncertain. There is no way to put in a fix with a neutral arbitrator. The U.S.A. has repeatedly stated that it sides with Israel therefore we can not be the arbitrator! Who can stand in that both sides will accept? Or can both sides agree to trust that the U.S.A. commit to an even hand, and truly commit to the process of negotiation?