Maybe so, but I've got to believe that Sharon's patience is wearing thin. If it were me, I'd have started really kicking some @$$ weeks or months ago, and maybe we wouldn't be talking about innocent civilians getting killed in order to support a whim.
Think of Sharon's situation in these terms: What would make you decide to put your wife, kids, house, dog, and everything else you have, at risk of complete destruction? What level of provocation is sufficient?
Sharon and his people have to make exactly that choice; and not just for themselves, but for everybody else in Israel as well. Starting an all-out war (which is the real meaning of "kicking some @$$"), puts the whole country literally on the line.
They're not there yet. In fact, I think they'll probably never have to go that far.