Just to be clear: there are two issues here. One is the manifest global bias that will blame Israel for anything, no matter how absurd the charge. The other is the objective tactical wisdom of staying out of Gaza and the West Bank right now.

Our frustration is with the first element. Israel's hands are often tied when it comes to security, because they know that some event will inevitably be twisted into an excuse for global condemnation. It could be that the Palestinians will intentionally use human shields and then scream about Israeli atrocities if a single civilian is wounded. It could be that the Palestinians will turn mosques and hospitals into bunkers and then scream about Israeli war crimes if Israeli soldiers shoot back at Palestinian gunmen. And it could be that the Palesitnians will bring themselves to the brink of all out war and then, after committing suicide bombings, blame Israel if they go over the edge. These disgusting little tricks have worked again and again, producing UN resolution after UN resolution. The point is simple: Israeli blood is shed because of an international nudge-nudge wink-wink that jeopardizes Israel's international credibility whenever it fires back at terrorists.

Now whether Israel should retaliate for yesterday's suicide bombing - that's another question, and one that we honestly just don't know where to begin answering. Napolean's famous quote, of course, is to the point here: never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake. The most straightforward way to justify staying out of Gaza and the West Bank is to say that the Palestinians are spiraling into a civil war and that you don't want to unify them against Israel. But even if a civil war is unlikely (and we think that it's very, very unlikely) - prolonged intra-Palestinian squabbling gives Israelis a respite. Every terrorist fighting with another terrorist is two terrorists not targeting Israeli cafes. Every bullet fired at Fatah or Hamas is a bullet not fired at an Israeli motorist. If Israeli forces think they can actively prevent suicide bombings through surveillance and intelligence, then perhaps there's a justification for letting the Palestinians fight amongst themselves for a little longer.

On the other hand, there's every chance this new round of civil war teasing will be over in a week, and everyone will go back to targeting Israelis. Which, honestly, is about 50/50.

Previously: Hamas Judge Killed By Palestinian Gunmen, Palestinians Targeting Palestinian Ministers, Abbas Is Lying Either To Israel or To the Palestinians - Either Way, It Makes a Peace Deal Impossible