During a recent interview on British Television, Benjamin Netanyahu was asked "How come so many more Lebanese have been killed [in the conflict with Hezbollah] than Israelis?"

Netanyahu's reply: ".. in World War II more Germans were killed than British and Americans combined, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the war was caused by Germany's aggression. And in response to the German blitz on London, the British wiped out the entire city of Dresden, burning to death more German civilians than the number of people killed in Hiroshima. Moreover, I could remind you that in 1944, when the R.A.F. tried to bomb the Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen, some of the bombs missed their target and fell on a Danish children's hospital, killing 83 little children. Perhaps you have another question?"

How humiliating. Poor interviewer.

The humiliation was entirely deserved, however. Had the interviewer not been so inadequate he would not have asked such a silly question. On the subject of casualties, he would indeed have asked another question. A better question.

What the interviewer ought to have asked is this: How is it that Hezbollah, considered a terrorist targeter of innocent civilians, killed more Israeli soldiers than Israeli civilians – whereas the top-notch I.D.F. military, although claiming to avoid targeting innocent civilians, wound up killing more Lebanese civilians than Hezbollah combatants? Why should we not conclude, by the numbers, that I.D.F. is the terrorist organization – and that Hezbollah is the legitimate military?

Now that would have been a question worth asking. And I don't know what Netanyahu's answer would have been. But I do know that answering this question is critical. Even though nobody asked.

How is it that terrorist Hezbollah killed more Israeli soldiers than civilians? For sure not for lack of trying to kill Israeli civilians. Hezbollah did its utmost, but it has proven itself incompetent at killing Israeli civilians. It shot, what? 4000 Katyushas into Israel? And it managed to wound or kill less than 1000 Israelis. That's total incompetence. It takes Hezbollah at least 4 Katyushas to manage wounding or killing one Israeli civilian.

Doesn't mean, of course, that Israel didn't suffer heavy civilian casualties – but it was due to the sheer number of Katyushas Hezbollah fired at Israel. Firing 4000 Katyushas, some are bound to hit targets. But the sheer number of Katyushas fired reflect the competence of Hezbollah's Katyusha suppliers – Iran and Syria – and underscore the incompetence of Hezbollah firing the Katyushas supplied to them. Put it this way: in Israel, three times more bushes were hit by Hezbollah than civilians.

So, as much as Hezbollah targets Israeli civilians, it is 3 times better at killing bushes. Burning bushes everywhere. Incompetent. But how, then, did Hezbollah manage to kill more Israeli soldiers? And how is it that I.D.F. wound up killing more Lebanese civilians than Hezbollah combatants?

The answer to these questions is in how and where Hezbollah shoots from.

Hezbollah shoots at Israel right from the homes, schools and hospitals of Lebanese civilians.

And Hezbollah has bunkers. Great bunkers. Terrific bunkers. Deep concrete bunkers. Interconnected with tunnels. Bunkers and tunnels they've been digging the past 10 years.

Clever. As if they knew this day was coming 10 years ago.

So, of course, after Hezbollah shoots at Israel, they duck to their bunkers again. And then it's hard for Israel to hit them when shooting back.

Almost impossibly hard.

But the Lebanese civilians, from whose midst Hezbollah shoots at Israel in the first place, have no bunkers. And for sure Hezbollah doesn't invite them into theirs.

So they get hit when Israel shoots back. The Lebanese civilians get hit. Instead of Hezbollah. Even though it's Hezbollah shooting at Israel, not the civilians.

What could they be thinking? Hezbollah, that is. Why would they dig bunkers, then shoot at Israel from among Lebanese civilians, then duck into their bunkers and leave the civilians outside to get hit when Israel shoots back? Why would anyone do anything like that? Are they crazy?

Well.. maybe. In the sense that government by fundamentalism in the 21st century is crazy. But, crazy or not, it's diabolically clever. I understood it when Nasrallah apologized for Hezbollah killing Israeli-Arab children. So how does a fundamentalist leader apologize? Well, he expressed his regret. And he reiterated that the Israeli-Arab children killed by Hezbollah were martyrs to the cause.

That's when I got it. The fundamentalist view on civilian casualties. Where Hezbollah's coming from. What they're thinking.

Civilian casualties are Ok for them. If Israeli – well, that's more than Ok. That's great. That's what they're after, that's who they target. But Lebanese casualties are Ok too. Like the Israeli-Arab children. They're martyrs to the cause.

And that's the answer. Hezbollah has forced a great spilling of civilian casualty blood onto the table of conflict. And although Nasrallah would no doubt have preferred had Hezbollah proven more competent at spilling Israeli civilian blood, he loses no sleep over the Lebanese civilian blood spilled. Far as he's concerned, it's all good.

From Nasrallah's perspective, it's a win-win situation. Shoot at Israel from among Lebanese civilians, then duck into bunkers and leave the civilians to be mowed down if Israel returns fire. It's win-win. On one hand, maybe Israel will not return fire – for fear of hitting innocent civilians. Bonus! But, on the other hand, if Israel does return fire, that's no loss either. The civilians mowed down by Israel's returning fire become martyrs to Hezbollah's cause. Their deaths conflagrate the flames of Islamic support. Their deaths smoulder and enflame the embers of international resentment against Israel. Bonus!

And for Israel, it's lose-lose. If they shoot back, they often hit innocent civilians. But if they don't shoot back – what then? Simple. If they don't shoot back then they lose the shooting war. And if ever Israel loses the shooting war with Islamic fundamentalism, it's game over. For all time. If that ever happens there won't be no talk of civilian casualties. We'll be talking about the Israeli civilian survivors. The few of them that may survive.

Lose-lose. But Israel must shoot back. For them, it's the lesser of the two evils. Because if they don't, it's game over. For all time.

There is a simple, historically proven solution. One that worked. The only one that ever worked. Recognition of Israel's right to exist.

It's historically proven. That's what Sadat did. On behalf of Egypt, he acknowledged and recognized Israel's right to exist. And the recognition was genuine. Since Sadat's recognition, Egypt hasn't been shooting at Israel. Should any Egyptian shoot at Israelis, he'd not be aided and abetted by Egypt. In Egypt, he'd be acting criminally. It'd be no different, an Egyptian shooting at Israelis, than if he were to shoot at fellow Egyptians. Criminal. Same as an Israeli shooting at Egyptians. Criminal.

In return for genuine recognition, Israel ceased occupying the Sinai. It returned the Sinai peninsula. It returned more land than it was left with.

Who does that? Who gets dragged into shooting wars, wins those shooting wars, captures and occupies more than double the territory originally had as surety against future shooting wars – and then returns more territory than afterwards remaining? Who does that? Isn't the rule that stronger nations war upon and occupy territory of weaker ones? Isn't the historical rule that might makes right?

Israel does that. Israel breaks the historical rule. Israel returns territory captured and occupied in self-defense.

But why? Does Israel win against overwhelming odds with such impunity it can afford to toss away what it has hemorrhaged to win? Nope. That's not it. Sure, the victory in 1967 was with impunity – due to spectacular intelligence. But not in 1973, when attacked on the holiest day of their year. Caught with their pants not even down. Caught with their pants lost. And not in 1948. How they won in 1948 is difficult to conceive for an atheist – like me.

So Israel must really hope the shooting stops. Despite winning every shooting war to date, they must hope the shooting stops badly enough to have returned the Sinai – returned more land than afterwards remaining them. And not like they had that much land even with the Sinai, either.

All this, knowing if shooting starts again they might lose. Lose and exist no more in flesh.

All this, despite history's injunction: that might makes right. That winning is everything.

Wow. Now that's hoping. The kind of hoping that may – just may – shape some future other than that dictated by our sad and vicious history.

The solution is so simple. Take advantage of Israel's hoping. And remember Sadat, for crying out loud. He took advantage of Israel's hoping – even knowing it would cost his life. That's not only martyrdom. Not just heroic. It's decent. He was the best of us all.

Remember Sadat first. As you remember your martyrs, remember Sadat foremost. He was the best of us all. And remember one more thing. Remember the Palestinian people – the people without homeland. The people who suffer now as the Jews once suffered. Remember the Palestinian people – and help the Palestinian people. Not by schooling and rewarding their suicide-murdering anyone disagreeing your fundamentalism – murdering all you believe better off dead or submitted to perpetual dhimmitude. That's not helping. That's destroying. Help the Palestinian people secure their homeland.

Remember the Palestinian people. Help them secure their homeland. Remind them to take advantage of Israel's hoping – hoping for peace. But don't stop there. What, will you allow Israel the sole generosity to your Arab brothers? Don't stop there. Let the Palestinian people make their home also in the Sinai, connecting the West Bank with Gaza. And why not also a little from Syria? Why not? Some crumbs from your tables of plenty – why not? Have they not suffered enough for you?

Remember the Palestinian people. Remember your martyrs. Remember how you called them to depart prior starting your shooting in 1948. You guaranteed victory, you assured they would return to the spoils of Israel genocided. But you haven't delivered. Not even close. So take some responsibility. Help them. Allow them the crumbs of your tables.

So simple, the solution. Remember Sadat. Remember the Palestinian people. Recognize Israel.