Okay, we stopped the killing, now what?

Let me get into the head of the Israeli policy makers: "Now, that we exported our successful line of Lebanon Wars to Gaza, it is time to evaluate our competitors in the market. Is there an alternative to a good old war?"

Well, apparently there is, and we know it, but we don't tell ourselves that we know it. Or actually we tell ourselves, but not at the right time. Here is what I mean:
Israel has very simple demands right now - an international peace-keeping force that will take over the security in Gaza ("Israel wants a ceasefire deal to include a specialized international force" (Jan 7, 2009, reuters, among many other sources)
It is so unfortunate that the very same idea was rejected by Israel 10 years ago. "Israel is opposed to the idea because such a force would reward Palestinian violence, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said" (somewhere back in 2000,CNN)

on the left - Barak opposes international force. on the right - Barak begs for one.

Funny, huh? Barak, the same guy who demands it now, refused it 10 years ago. Let's see if there are any more historical ideas:
"Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told a news conference that his country has ''no intention of accepting any kind of United Nations observer force'' to protect the Palestinians".(1990, NYTimes).

Yes, Netanyahu. Familiar names strike again.

On the left - Netanyahu before thousands, on both sides, were killed. On the right - Netanyahu after thousands were killed (he hasn't changed much).





And I have only two simple questions, one hypothetical and one realistic.

Where were we today if the Israeli government, my government, would have accepted the international force idea back in the 1990's?
What should the Mahmoud Abbas do in order to convince Israel to allow international peace-keeping forces in the West Bank? Should he fire rockets on Tel-Aviv?