Frankly I don't care if any nation has a army for just defense, however, your right in that aspect that Israel has a military of that size to.. Wow? their enemies. However, you fight some of these islamic nations that truly believe that blowing theirselves up into tiny chunks will grant them a way into heaven, and you realize that an army of that size doesn't really faze them.
Heh, look at the US, the best (I had to say it, too true

) military in the world, and we have problems from... 2,000+ "freedom fighters" in Iraq alone.
We are fighting a 4 Generation War. The terrorists are fighting a second or third generation war.
4 G war = Late Cold war to present. Confrontational armies, limited war. Ex. Soviet Union vs United States.
3 G War = Vietnam/Korea(Sorta). Vietcong, Guerillas (SP?)
2 G war = Bombing the compassion out of each other. Total War. Trenches, both World Wars
1 G war = Stand in a line and get shot... Civil War, Revo War, Napoleonic Wars etc etc
The terrorists are fighting a 3 g war. And they are very successful. We are fighting a 4 g war. And we whiped Saddams armies the hamster out.
..but.. Ho Chi Minh knew that eventually the US would turn against itself in the Vietnam war, he counted on it, and the gamble won. Saddam tried the idea out, and he lost.. Osama is currently quite knowledgeable of that fact and he knows, as it is showng now, that the US pop, once all up in arms is now but a sleeping lion. As long as he does nothing major, he can slip by, and the lion will sleep, but if he tries to attack the lion. It is all over.
He will wait till he escapes the lion, and then, when the lion (US) least expects it, will strike again.