"Israel's response has come in for criticism because there is a basic understanding, or hope, or desire, that Israel can behave more 'humanely'"

But Israel doesn't. It never has. What measure would you like to use? Deaths of civilians? Children? Evictions? Bulldozing of villages? Discrimination?

As I keep saying, the history is not just important: ignore it and you simply can't understand. Israeli regimes would like us to sideline the history. We shouldn't be fooled.