About 600 Palestinians have been killed and the figures are rising as Israel continues its land, air and sea assault on Gaza. About 3,500 Palestinians have been wounded and those figures, too, are rising. More than 70 percent of the casualties are civilians and there are a massive number of children and women among them.Israel has lost about 30 soldiers and about three or four civilians. Quite a few Israelis are rejoicing the massive military force being used against helpless Palestinian civilians thinking that this will help to persuade the ordinary Palestinian to stop supporting Hamas or other Palestinian groups that have vowed the destruction of Israel. Israel feels it can continue terrorizing the people of Palestine and help maintain its own security and yet it is clear that this is an unsustainable situation.You can have all the money and military help from the U.S. and other Western powers to try to keep the lid on the Palestinians by using brutal force but you cannot keep this up forever. Such tyranny may save the day but in the long run it is self-defeating.The Israeli child that lost his friend while playing on the beach by the shelling of the Israeli navy will not forget this crime. The Palestinian mother and father who lost their baby girl in rocket attacks will never forgive Israel. Frequently repeated Israeli military operations against Gaza and the West Bank are only further alienating the Palestinian people and pushing them more into hopelessness which is the most dangerous situation for regional and world peace. This is how terrorism and terrorists come into being. This is a prescription for many more 9/11 terrorist attacks and massacres.We have to stop this trend and try to appease the Palestinian people instead of antagonizing them. You cannot expect Palestinians to give peace a chance when Israel is denying them access to the outside world. The Israeli blockade of Palestinian territories is self-defeating. Added to this is the Israeli policy to build settlements and eat into Palestinian lands. As if this is not enough, Israel houses extremists in these places and thus further antagonizes the Palestinian people. Thus desperate people do senseless things. Can't the Western public opinion comprehend this?If Israel wants genuine peace and genuine security it has to be realistic and pragmatic instead of being antagonistic. It has to see that countries like Turkey do not want the destruction of the Israeli state but will not tolerate the obliteration of the Palestinian people.Turkey's support and displays of emotion are genuine. Turks are officially mourning the casualties in Palestine for three days. All flags are at half-mast. The more there are casualties the more the Turkish people feel sympathy for the Palestinians and antagonism against Israel will grow. The U.S., the Western supporters of Israel like the U.K., Germany and France are also regarded as accomplices of Israel in this tragedy by the Turkish people. Doesn't this mean anything to anyone?