During Israel's defensive action against Hamas in Gaza, Israel provided documentary evidence that Hamas deliberately used civilian and United Nations buildings as safe havens and military outposts from which they launched attacks. Therefore Israel rightfully ended up launching actions against Hamas fighters who took cover in these facilities. Israel went through extensive efforts to warn civilians that action would taken in their areas. (You can see Israel's case in Dore Gold's video presentation).

But now, in a development that boggles the imagination, Israel reportedly  has agreed to pay the United Nations $10 million for damage to their property. By this action Israel is inadvertently portraying itself as being guilty and paying a fine for their misdeeds. The United Nations is taken off the hook for allowing their facilities to be used by Hamas. (In the Lebanon War, you might remember, the United Nations actively assisted Hezbollah.) This payment also lets Hamas off the hook. If anyone should be asked to pay its those who turned civilian property into war zones.

This will also bolster the outrageous legal action by Iraq's government to demand that Israel pay compensation for the destruction of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor.

Evelyn Gordon has written an important analysis of how Israel is the main cause of its own international problems. Her article in titled, "The Deadly Price of Pursuing Peace".

She asks the questions:  "Yet even today, conventional wisdom, including in Israel, continues to assert that Israel's international standing depends on its willingness to advance the "peace process. That invites an obvious question: if so, why has Israel's reputation fallen so low despite its numerous concessions for peace since 1993?"

Gordon shows how the pursuit of a peace that does not exist has undermined Israel's international standing and bolstered its enemies.  Gordon concludes on a positive note. Israel is both the source of and holds the solution to its problems.

In other words Israel needs to get its own house in order -- it must start defending itself in the international arena before it becomes an outlaw State.

Gordon's insightful article can be found here.