Hamas' aggression against Israel has to be punished; quickly and severely. To use the words of the 1950's Cold War, Israel has to massively retaliate to avenge the deaths and kidnapping of its civilians. Put bluntly, Israel has to destroy Hamas root and branch. By acting this way the country will gain the respect of the region and instead of putting the proposed U.S./Saudi/Israel deal on hold, it would accelerate it.
Remember, an Israel that looks weak will garner no respect in the broader Middle-East. Indeed to reinforce the idea that Israel means business Netanyahu ought to form a new unity government by bringing in the center-left and kicking out the rabid right ministers, who by the way have no military experience. Just to note, prior to the 6-Day War in 1967, Israel formed a unity government.
Now is not the time for recriminations, but once the objectives in Gaza are achieved a full blown inquiry will be needed to examine the gross military and intelligence failures of the government that enabled the aggression in the first instance.
