The rest of the world does not believe that Israel is oppressive and awful.
Let me specify: they believe that the actions of Israel in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are oppressive and awful.
The country, and government, is otherwise quite a nice place in most ways, at least if you're Jewish and/or American.
It is a complicated issue, and different groups have different perspectives on it. It is not a black and white issue. My housemate is a Greek Orthodox Christian Palestinian, and even she isn't entirely sure she wants to see Israel cast aside because that would give power to Hamas.
Well duh. I'm not saying the entire world thinks Israel should be destroyed or whatever, much less wants Hamas in charge of anything at all. They DO generally agree that what Israel is doing in the WB and Gaza is illegal, immoral, and all around completely despicable. (and of course there are significant numbers in the US and Israel that think so too) That's why the US's many votes to protect Israel from censure is the only reason Israel hasnt' been held accountable by the UN or by international law.
@ Zangi: Basically right. It's kind of funny that the US is complaining about how Israel's latest settlement building jeopardizes US credibility on human rights and in relation to the peace process, as if they have any credibility whatsoever (see above on how they automatically vote to protect Israel from any accountability for its crimes). What SHOULD happen is that the US government tells the Israeli ruling coalition straight up: If you do not immediately withdraw from the West Bank, lift the siege on Gaza, begin pulling settlers and infrastructure out of the WB with a goal toward all of them being out in some set amount of time, allow the right of return for Palestinian refugees, including reparations for lost land and 60 years of exile, then we will stop sending you money, stop supporting you blindly, stop voting to protect you from all scrutiny, and just generally throw you to the wolves, period. (course in a perfect world we'd do the same for Saudi Arabia and all other evil regimes we're allied with, although we need Saudi Arabia in a way we dont' need Israel)
I feel like even Netanyahu would get his act together if that happened. Of course, his coalition is made up of a religious wacko party (Shas) and the Israeli equivalent of the KKK (Yisrael Beitenu) and just general right-wing assholes (Likud) so people would bitch and moan, but however much they talk about God being on their side, they know America is still their dad.