Does Israel need a civil war?

Yesterday, after the Knesset rejected a bill calling for a referendum on Sharon's plan to pull Israeli troops and settlements out of Gaza, the Yesha settlement council issued a statement that said Sharon has wasted the chance to "prevent a violent confrontation and a civil war."

But, if these settlers are willing to resort to violence and have such contempt for the government and its institutions, is a civil war really the worst possible outcome? Can Israeli society allow a radical, violent ideological faction to determine its fate? The same question might be asked of the Palestinians.