A bad sign: life is back to normal in Haifa. Street caf’es and businesses reopen, and people ignore sirens. Why is that bad? For one, popular pressure on Israeli government to finish the war by whatever means dwindles. More important, the situation in Haifa parallels developments in Lebanon. There, too, life normalizes.

Visitors to Beirut in the 1980s were surprised to see busy restaurants and happy crowds alongside the city’s devastated quarters. People got used to violence. That is happening in Lebanon now.

Wartime violence terrifies the enemy population. Violence that no longer terrifies is pointless. Israel is wasting lives and resources and inflicting useless devastation. Israeli retaliation no longer frightens the Lebanese but only fans hatred of Israel.

Limited violence leads nowhere. Israel had already killed more people in the Lebanese campaign than in Deir Yassin. That unapologetic burst of violence produced the desired results. The current protracted moderate violence is costly and ineffective.

The Israeli government lost the opportunity to trumpet the deaths of several dozen Lebanese in Kfar Qana as an example to villages that host Hezbollah. The people in Kfar Qana were dead, anyway. Israel should have used their deaths. Olmert stupidly apologized and lost the effect.

Wars are about killing. Terrifying violence stops wars. Do not waste an enemy’s lives. Escalate beyond the enemy’s tolerance, disregard media condemnations, and see the war ended.