Though use of White Phosphorous and DIME weapons have not yet been officially confirmed, the UN and foreign physicians' descriptions of Palestinians' injuries point strongly in that direction. I expected Israel to be extremely sensitive to unwarranted cruelty and suffering of civilians, and to take a higher moral ground. Instead, the Israeli government--with blind endorsement from the Bush administration--has become what they hated the most: a brutal, violent, indiscriminately destructive force. With the death toll at more than 1,200 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, how can Olmert, Barak and Livni argue that their actions are "defensive"? Beyond the reprehensible deaths and injuries to civilians in Gaza and the increasing threat to Israeli civilians by a growing number of angry neighbors, the risk of a pan-Middle East conflict erupting, becoming a real threat to Israel's survival. This has all the elements of a Greek tragedy: The actions the Israeli government is taking, to prevent what they fear the most, are precisely the actions that may lead to their downfall, and the ultimate calamity for all.