DETROIT NEWS
by Nolan Finley
July 13, 2014

The play-by-play for Israeli-Palestinian eruptions is so well-worn that it’s become formulaic. Hamas terrorists in Gaza find an excuse to escalate their daily rocket attacks against settlements and towns in Israel, forcing Israel to the breaking point of its patience for random assaults on its citizenry.

Israel responds with air strikes against the rocket launch sites, which the Palestinians shield with civilians, including children. Cameras turn away from the smoldering remnants of rockets that fell on Israel and toward wailing Palestinians toting the bodies of their dead through the streets.

Hamas uses the retaliation as an excuse to fire even more missiles at even larger targets. Meanwhile, world leaders, including those in Washington, urge both sides to stand down, as if both sides were the provocateur. In any case, neither side does.

At some point, Israel decides the only way to end its torment is to send ground troops sweeping through Gaza to root out the terrorists one by one.More innocent Palestinians are piled on the heap of dead bodies, and the world condemnation of Israel for committing “war crimes” becomes deafening. Finally, Israel can withstand the withering rebuke no longer, and pulls back from Gaza well short of finishing its work.

…..This time, the Israelis should break Hamas to pieces, destroy its ability to threaten Israeli civilians and bust its grip on Gaza, and for better or worse return the strip to control of the Palestinian Authority. Whatever collateral damage occurs in the process, any and all civilian casualties should be charged to Hamas’ account, and not to Israel’s.In the long run, the Palestinians will be better off with Hamas gone, as will Israel and everyone else with a stake in the Middle East, including the United States.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140713/OPINION01/307130004#ixzz37MVLoJUt

[Note the talkbacks which illustrate the confusion in the public understanding sequence of events. Gaza missiles FIRST breaking Nov 2012 ceasefire, THEN Israel retaliates. Got it ?]