"Israeli aircraft, tanks and naval gunboats pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Thursday and rocket salvoes thudded into southern Israel, as terrified residents on both sides of the frontier holed up at home in anticipation of heavy fighting on the second day of Israel's offensive against Islamic militants.
The operation, launched in response to days of rocket fire from the Palestinian territory, kicked off with the assassination of Hamas' top military commander and deepened the instability gripping the Mideast. Israel's already strained relations with Egypt's new Islamist government frayed even further as Egypt recalled its ambassador Wednesday in response to the Israeli military operation.
Just days earlier, Israel was drawn into Syria's civil war for the first time, firing missiles into its northern neighbor for the first time in four decades after stray mortar fire landed in Israeli-occupied Syrian territory."*
Cenk Uygur provides an in-depth analysis about the disproportionate strike back against Hamas, "collateral damage," and U.S. attitudes toward Israelis and Palestinians.
Comment: With the emergence of child sex crimes at the highest levels in the UK, this weird relationship the country has with Jersey Island is beginning to make sense.
The BBC: Protecting Pedophiles and War Criminals Since 2004