In War There Are Winners and Losers

As Israel has been ramping up its self-defense war machine, I am a bit dismayed by all of the foreign heads of state saying that Israel's response has been disproportionate. So it's okay for terrorists to nip at the heals of Israel for years, but when they finally provoke a big response ... that's not okay? And disproportionate? Is that not the definition of war? A war can not be won if there is not a disproportionate victory of one side over the other. Otherwise, an even sided war would go on forever.