Congratulations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mission accomplished — at least on your terms.

Your government’s war on Gaza has resulted in more than 1,800 Palestinian deaths, most of them civilian, including nearly 400 children. But as the latest ceasefire began Tuesday, only three Israeli civilians had been killed and your approval rating among fellow Israelis stood at an overwhelming 77 per cent.

So — even though the equally immoral Hamas faction still rules Gaza, another generation of young Palestinians has been radicalized and the dream of an enduring peace has again been sabotaged — your re-election seems assured. In terms of your political survival, at least, a job well done.

But in the broad sweep of history, the judgment will not be so gentle. The widespread atrocities inflicted by the Israelis on Gaza and the terror unleashed by Hamas on southern Israel were both criminal and unnecessary. But the horrific scale of Israel’s military response — a form of collective punishment of the Palestinian people — will do more to imperil the future of the State of Israel than undermine the Palestinian cause.

The simple truth is that the war crimes condoned during the past month by the leaders of both sides could have been avoided — if only the international community had the courage to intervene.

It was ironic that the Gazan conflict eased this week on the very day that leaders in Europe and Canada solemnly marked the moment 100 years ago when World War I officially started. Many of the modern crises in the Middle East date back to the aftermath of that war.

World War 1 stands as a reminder of the damage that indifferent, self-serving leaders — “sleepwalking” to war — can do to the course of history. But the paralysis of the international community is once again on display.

In every way possible, Netanyahu and his extreme right-wing government have worked to sabotage the notion of a “two-state” solution between Israelis and Palestinians — ignoring the very threat this will create for Israel’s future. But the international community has meekly acquiesced.

Through its occupation and blockade, sustained by a military that is overwhelmingly funded by the U.S. and supported by other Western countries such as Canada, Israel has created an “open-air prison” in Gaza that can only produce despair and hopelessness among Palestinians. It is in this environment that a Hamas can thrive.

By consistently humiliating and marginalizing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu has undermined the entire moderate Palestinian cause. And it is in this political context that a Hamas can survive.

Last Monday night at Westminster Abbey, there was a candlelight vigil marking Britain’s declaration of war 100 years ago. It recalled the words of the British foreign secretary at the time who famously said: “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”

Sayeeda Warsi, a British Conservative government minister and the highest-ranking Muslim in U.K. politics, was chosen as one of four people who snuffed out a candle and pitched the congregation of dignitaries into symbolic darkness. But it was her last act as a government minister. The next day, she resigned.

Warsi said that the failure of Prime Minister David Cameron’s government to condemn Israel for its attacks on Gaza was “morally indefensible.” On British television, she elaborated: “It is unnecessary to kill innocent civilians, to displace one-quarter of the population and to flatten schools, hospitals and water supplies in Gaza to achieve your ends.”

Since the 1980s, some of the most intractable global problems have been confronted. These included communism and the Soviet Union, the apartheid regime in South Africa and even the endless troubles in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict goes on with impunity — with innocent civilians being caught in the crossfire at every stage.

The wisest proposal emerging from the ashes of the past week came from Laurent Fabius, France’s foreign minister and a former French prime minister. He called on the international community to impose a solution on the two sides, saying they have shown themselves completely unable to negotiate.

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Exactly.

Tony Burman, former head of Al-Jazeera English and CBC News, teaches journalism at Ryerson University. Reach him @TonyBurman tony.burman@gmail.com

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