Terrorism Is ONLY A Crime?

Well, according to this DailyKos poster terrorism is only a crime... not an act of war.

From the post:

"What should have been the Israeli response to the rockets and kidnappings? Cry out bloody murder (not war). Demand that Lebanon do something about it, not bomb them. Demand an UN force go in and disarm Hezbollah militia. Not do it themselves. Not act like vigilantes. Make it clear it was a crime, not an act or war. "

It seems to me that Israel... like any nation... and like any person... has a right to defend itself if attacked. Why must it rely on outside forces to defend its own people? Is this DailyKos poster really saying that Israel should wait for the speedy United Nations to arrive and deal with the situation and allow its people to be slaughtered?

And what if Lebanon doesn't want to do anything about it? What if doing something about the terrorists was not in the interests of the government of Lebanon? What then? Just throw up your hands and give up?

Another passage from the post:

"In no way does this mean we should just take it. But how do we handle crime in general? A neutral policeman is called to settle disputes. We seek Justice for those who are the victims, through a process that assures fair treatment of all of those involved. It is this process more than anything that will counter terrorism."

Well, if the United Nations or an "neutral policeman" was an effective substitute for self defense then go ahead. But I pose this question: If a criminal breaks into your house and starts beating your wife do you call up the cops and wait or do you attempt to do something about it yourself? Of course not! When time is extremely important waiting around is not the solution to a problem.

I find it difficult to understand how anyone would believe that the constant attacks on Israel is only a "crime" and not acts of war. I am sure that for the Israeli victims it seems like an act of war.