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.
Maybe so, but the situation is not that far from it right now. Sure there are no foreign armies marching throughthe streets of Tel-Aviv, or Jerusalem, but the entire undercurrent of the terror movement seeks to undermine the veracity of Israel as a state. This equates to an attack on the sovereignty of the nation, and is an outright attack on it's existence. Granted, Israel has weathered worse during '67 and especially '73, but not knowing where the enemy will hit next doesn't leave any room for a strategic defense, only a coordinated offense.