Israeli warplanes pound targets in Gaza; 28 dead so far

All this started because three Israelis were captured in occupied Palestine and killed; Israel accusing Hamas without providing any proof. In response, Palestine was attacked, nine Palestinians murdered, several hundreds kidnapped, houses demolished.... And still no evidence Hamas was behind the initial capture and murder. If Israel really thought Hamas was responsible, they would not have demolished the suspects' houses, they would have searched them carefully instead. They know Hamas was not behind it. Hamas had just formed a unity government, they had the world's support, but Netanyahu could not tolerate that, and he is succeeding in further destroying Palestine and their chances at living normal lives. And America will continue to borrow billions, get further into debt, to aid Israel.

If only Israel would stop this illegal occupation and let the Palestinians live freely, there would immediately be peace. The occupation is the root problem.

Chadwick, respectfully, I am astonished by your comment and your understanding of the situation in Israel. Israel is not reacting to the murders of the three teenage boys. They know who is responsible, and these murderers are Hamas members, however, the Israeli government would not punish all of Gaza collectively. The Israeli military operation is the result of the rockets being fired into Israel to only CIVILIAN areas: schools, homes, and businesses. You may or may not know that the Israeli Defense Forces go to great lengths to try to avoid any Palestinian civilian harm. The measures that they take are radio announcements, dropping leaflets and flares, and even making phone calls in Arabic to neighborhoods. Hamas asks for civilian volunteers as martyrs and they will not leave the area, and at times these civilians are forced to stay and be harmed. These measures are in place in each and every military operation. The mainstream media knows this, but they do not choose to publicize it. There is far too much anti-Semitism in the world, and many people hate Israel, a tiny bit of land in a desert claimed by a tiny minority of people who seek to live there so that they will no longer be murdered in Europe and across the Middle East. The world may well have supported the PLO/Hamas unity. Hamas is a terrorist organization that states that they will kill every last Jewish man, woman and child. They vowed the destruction of Israel and the murder of all Israelis. Yeah, the international community surely supports such an alliance. Just do the research yourself about the history of the establishment of Israel, the history of the region at the time, and the laws and agreements that were made to create Israel. Go to reliable sources and do the research, especially all the offer of peace which not matter how generous the Palestinians reject them.

If only Israel would stop this illegal occupation and let the Palestinians live freely, there would immediately be peace. The occupation is the root problem.

If ONLY Hamas would stop their terrorism and respect and the right and acknowledges that Israel exists, is a sovereign nation and is serious about peace then there would be NO problem, the root of the problem is their sworn allegiance to terrorism.

draw the border as you like and tell the palestinians take it or leave it but that any attacks coming from their side will be considered an act of war and answered in kind, 10 fold, i.e. random missile launches will be answered with random missile launches. then its up the palestinian people to police themselves or be wiped out.

They know who is responsible, and these murderers are Hamas members,

No evidence has yet been provided. None. But that has not stopped them from responding with 9 murders, over 600 kidnappings, house demolitions...

however, the Israeli government would not punish all of Gaza collectively.

What!!! That's what they have been doing for over 60 years!!!

any attacks coming from their side will be considered an act of war and answered in kind

But it seems Palestine must just put up with decades of illegal occupation, attacks, kidnappings, murders, beatings, house demolitions.... They are not allowed to respond.

You may or may not know that the Israeli Defense Forces go to great lengths to try to avoid any Palestinian civilian harm

Yes, an American child can vouch for that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-CmBvhtxyg

The measures that they take are radio announcements, dropping leaflets and flares, and even making phone calls in Arabic to neighborhoods.

Ah yes, that reminds me of Operation Cast Lead, the Israelis apparently did warn the Palestinians of an attack, many sought refuge in a UN school, which was promptly bombed by Israeli forces with white phosphorous.

I agree that the typical Israeli talking point states that " Israeli Defense Forces go to great lengths to try to avoid any Palestinian civilian harm", but their actions have clearly demonstrated time and again that in fact Israeli Defense Forces go to great lengths to try to MAXIMIZE Palestinian civilian harm and suffering.

Usually U.N. is quick to give casualty count in Sudan, Syria....but not in Palestine(?)

Palestinians live freely, there would immediately be peace. The occupation is the root problem.

Then why do Palestinians go to war with each other? Hamas vs. Fatah. Please explain.

Israelis are going about their day to day business while their army is mercilessly murdering defenceless civilians in Gaza. The Israelis are massacring another people;that is called genocide!

The truth of the matter is that the Israelis have an anti missile defence which prevents Israeli deaths.........

28 killed in Gaza so far - how much damage did these rockets even do to Israel? Any at all?

Israel occupies Palestine, keeps the Palestinians in misery. Any time some militants act out against Israel, Israel responds with such massive force that a new generation is radicalized. Israel responds to small provocations with destruction of homes and lives. This can't go on.

Israel needs to work for peace with the Palestinians, and start that process by ending this horrible, decades long occupation.

Some context, care of B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories:

Fatalities during Operation Cast Lead (27 December 2008 - 18 January 2009):

Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces 1,398;

Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians 0;

Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians 5.

Fatalities since Operation Cast Lead (19 January 2009 - 31 May 2014):

Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces 565;

Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians 6;

Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians 18;

Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians 7.

http://www.btselem.org/statistics/fatalities/after-cast-lead/by-date-of-event

So let’s say your neighbor has this big gnarly dog chained up in his back yard; this dog is known to be vicious, easily provoked and prone to attack. Let’s also say that you know this very well from past experiences. Yet, at every opportunity you stand just outside the limit of his chain and poke the dog with a sharp stick. The dog snarls and snaps and lunges at you to the limit of his restraint and you just step back tauntingly, laugh and give him a couple more pokes for good measure. One day the dog has had enough, you have poked him one too many times. So when he lunges against his chain, he breaks it and comes straight for you with murder in his eyes. Of course you knew he would do that because that’s what he has done every time you have poked him beyond his limit. Thinking fast, you grab a random neighbor kid who was watching and pull him between the dog and you. The dog rips the kids face off and kills him while you take cover.

You knew very well that this dog was crazy, you knew very well that this dog was violent, rash and prone to overreact to any provocation; yet you poked and poked and poked again. And some random kid paid the price. Now tell me; who’s the bad guy here, who’s the one responsible for that kid’s death? The dog or you?

The occupation is the root problem.

Close. At the root of the occupation issue is the core belief by a critical mass of Israelis that Israel is entitled to all the land they feel they were promised in the Old Testament. More than that, they are religiously bound to recover as much of it as possible. This is what provides the zealous drive for occupation and settlements.

There are many Jews who oppose this tack, and they are just as much at loggerheads with the zealots as Hamas is against Fatah. But make no mistake, the zealots do not want any peace with non-Jews as long as they are inhabiting land that they feel as been granted to them over 3,000 years ago.

Does anyone recall ever seeing a professional documentary, BBC or any other MSM, about these illegal settlements scattered ALL over Palestine and just how fanatical they are? I haven't. You can sometimes catch a freelance one, saw one the other day with a settler spouting off about how they killed Jesus Christ, laughing about it and telling the camera man to get the F#*k off "his" land.

Can't count on the US to do anything about it, they are playing right along with the Zionists. I had hopes for Europe, but it seems it's like a tide, up then down. Israel don't want peace. The only thing that seems to be working is the grass roots divestment campaign.

Anyone who tries to blame the Palestinians or Hamas has never looked and internalized a map of these illegal settlements and is out of touch with the reality either for religious reasons or because they are still stuck in the headlights of fear by G. W. Bush's phony terrorist brainwashing.

And for all you gun control advocates, Israel is very strict. Israelis can have guns, Palestinians can not.

The roots of the problems associated with Israeli settlements are by no means new. Problems originated with the Six-Day war in 1967. After this war, Israeli acquired additional territories, territories that were Holy Lands for other populations. These lands are considered the “occupied territories.” Israeli initially utilized these lands for protection, but they have also built new settlements on the land and renovated existing historic buildings. The placement of these settlements also has increased the difficulty of life for Palestinians still residing in the territories. The United Nations has continually called for an end to Israel’s actions and an evacuation of the territories. Even the Israeli High Court has ordered a halt on continued construction on these lands. Israeli settlement plans not only pose a direct threat to historic sites, but also to residents of these areas. The settlements have isolated many Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, and forced thousands from their homes.

The roots of the problems associated with Israeli settlements are by no means new. Problems originated with the Six-Day war in 1967.

I would argue that they originate with Israel's founding in 1948.