Israel's handling of the situation with Syria is about self-preservation and tough shit if y'all don't like it.

It isn't a question of not liking it, Bruce, but of seeing it honestly for what it is. It's an attack on a neighbouring state with which it is not currently engaged in armed conflict. I absolutely understand why Israel feel they have to bomb convoys in a foreign country. They're scared of their enemies getting even more weapons. Yep, that's the messiness of making enemies, all right. As long as it's understood that, when Israel's enemies do the same thing to Israel, Israel shouldn't complain too much. When Hezbollah rocketed Israeli military targets in 2006 from Lebanon, we called Hezbollah terrorists. I've yet to hear anyone calling Israel terrorists for doing the same thing last week. Odd, that. Maybe it's that thing about the size of the bomb again. The danger is that, if we readily condone what Israel did, it will give them the heart to be a little bolder. Next thing we know, they'll be bombing alleged "nuclear installations" inside Iran. They won't bother waiting for solid evidence (or permission from the yanks), either. We can work that out from their propensity for bombing civilian areas in Gaza on the slenderest pretext of "Hamas using civilians as human shields" (trotted out as a routine excuse every single time).

I expect Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinians in Israel, Lebanon, Egypt and Iran are all scared of Israel getting getting even more weapons too. When they act accordingly, we condemn. When Israel acts similarly, we condone. Some of us call that a double standard.