Last Friday, after Palestinians launched rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes struck back, killing 12 Gazans, most of them terrorists. The incident set off renewed clashes along the border area, with Palestinians firing rockets into southern Israel, and Israel sending in warplanes in response. In the four days of fighting that followed Friday's clashes, 23 Gazans died, with dozens injured. Meanwhile, 22 Israelis were hurt by rockets and mortars, several seriously.

On Monday night, Egypt announced that it had brokered a ceasefire arrangement between the Palestinians and Israel. Neither side has any interest in a prolonged battle. Even the Palestinians seem to have been mostly going through the motions: Their original attacks were sparked by Israel's successful precision hit on a wellknown terrorist commander. And groups such as Islamic Jihad presumably felt a need to flail back, if only for appearances' sake. This sort of predictable exchange of blows has been repeated several times since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. For many Middle East watchers, it's become old news.

But some things do change - in this case, for the better. In this month's clash, Israel's Iron Dome missile-defence system performed far better than even optimists had expected. This is clearly a relief for Israelis, especially those living within range of Gazan rockets. But it's also good news for the entire Western world: As in so many other areas of military hardware and tactics, the implementation of Israel's Iron Dome missile system (which incorporates American technology and Israeli upgrades) in the Gazan theatre has become a sort of pilot plant for technology that someday will protect all of us.

Iron Dome is a technological marvel. Within seconds of a rocket or mortar being launched at Israel, the system detects the incoming ordinance, evaluates its flight path and determines whether to intercept it. If it is heading into an unpopulated area, the system generally does nothing. But if it detects that the rocket or mortar shell is heading toward an inhabited area, or valuable infrastructure, it will fire an anti-missile missile at the incoming shell or missile.

On Monday, the system proved 75% effective against incoming fire. But that was an off day. Overall, the system has negated as much as 90% of incoming projectiles that had been deemed a threat. In the latest clash, that amounted to well over a hundred shells and rockets that were exploded harmlessly in midair before landing on Israeli soil.

Though Iron Dome might one day protect all of Israel's borders - including its northern border with Lebanon - it is not fully deployed. Even in those areas where it has been deployed, it isn't perfect, so Israelis who live close to Gaza must periodically live as though they are under siege: Schools are closed, large public gatherings are cancelled and families are advised to stay close to bomb shelters.

Nevertheless, the early results from Iron Dome are hugely promising. The system will bring real psychological relief to Israelis living in the south, and has made the job of Gazan terrorists much harder. Their enormous investment in rockets and ammunition just lost somewhere between 75% to 90% of its value. It will be difficult recruiting terrorists to risk their lives staffing launch cells when even a successful launch likely will just mean another notch on an Iron Dome battery.

Iron Dome has cost Israel more than a billion dollars. The American taxpayer has kicked in hundreds of millions, in exchange for access to the technology. Each Iron Dome missile costs an estimated $60,000. It's a pricy system, to be sure. But for Israelis, the system is worth every penny.

Iron Dome is more than just a life-saving weapon system. It acts as a sort of technological metaphor for the Middle East conflict as a whole. While Palestinian militants in Gaza waste what few resources they have on smuggled weaponry that kill citizens indiscriminately, the Israelis produce life-saving high-tech refinements that one day will be protecting American military bases in the Gulf - and who knows what else besides - from attacks by Iran and its proxies.

War, as much as necessity, is the mother of invention. Israel never asked for war with Gaza, and it would make peace tomorrow if Hamas renounced violence, and unambiguously acknowledged Israel's right to exist within secure borders. In the meantime, however, the Western world will profit from the technological fruits of Israel's struggle for survival.