It is sad to see this happen again. Its worse to see those who have been die-hard backers of the Iraq war, defending the Israeli actions. It has been reported that Israel’s move has a lot to do with its upcoming polls. But it is also a sign that Israel might not be sure of receiving the kind of unqualified support that it has been receiving from the Bush administration from the Obama administration.
Interestingly, President-elect Obama has refrained from weighing in on the issue. It is an indication that he disagrees with the Bush administration?
Pakora Korner 
Sure, the death and destruction in Palestine is gut wrenching. The Arab world is inflamed with hatred for Israel and there are various mobilisation drives to reach aid to Gaza. But there are a few observations I’d like to make:
a. Hamas cannot continue to shower rockets into Israel and expect them to take it. Israel does not believe in showing the other cheek and will retaliate for its own self-preservation or for reasons of domestic politics.
b. Hamas cannot proclaim that it will destroy/wipe out Israel from the face of this earth and expect the Israelis to sit and watch from the sidelines.
c. Both Hamas and Fatah should recognise that Israel is there to stay and that a solution to the problem has to include Israel’s right to exist – else there will not be any peace.
d. For all the noise that the Arab world has made about the Israeli attacks (and rightly so), where were these very same voices when the Hamas and Fatah were involved in grisly, gory fratricidal fights not too long ago. Why did they keep quiet then?
e. The Palestinians have not been able to remain united even when they face dire circumstances and an overwhelmingly threatening enemy (ideal conditions to forge a united stand). Imagine how many internecine fights there would be if the arch enemy Israel were to somehow disappear from the face of the earth. I shudder to imagine.
Sure the Palestinians have been deprived of their legitimate rights. There is a lot to fight for. But the means they use are highly questionable. By now they should have the sense to realise that Israel can be checkmated not through might but through unity and some clever diplomacy and manoeuvring. Somehow, this point does not penetrate the Palestinian psyche.
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There is no question that the Arab world and the Palestinians have plenty to sort out among themselves. It is also true that Hamas has been launching rockets into Israel. But according to media reports the Isreali attacks in response have been highly disproportionate. Most importantly, a large number of innocent lives are being lost in these attacks. All Palestinians are not pro-Hamas. It’s a little like India making targeted attacks in Pak because of the recent Mumbai killings instead of seeking a diplomatic solutions.
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