How they see it
The Israeli assault on Gaza
1. The Washington Post
The latest mini-war between Israel and the Hamas movement is as unwinnable for either side as previous rounds in 2009 and 2012 ... Obama administration officials argue that this deterioration proves that it was right to pursue a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement. In our view, the failed US effort … merely raised expectations that could not be met, making a backlash inevitable. What's needed is not another diplomatic blitz but a more patient, incremental and sustainable effort to restore trust between Israelis and Palestinians, improve economic conditions in the West Bank and Gaza, and create the foundations for an eventual settlement. That is if the fire in Gaza can be put out. Washington
2. Gulf News
For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing rabble of rabbis, the very notion of a people - who they had tried so hard to subjugate - having the audacity to stand united against Zionist interlopers was too much to bear. Once more, for daring to defend themselves, the people of Gaza will be pounded by rockets and missiles. Five years ago, Israel unleashed its sophisticated weaponry - supplied willingly by Washington - to bombard Gazans … What is clear is that Netanyahu and his cronies have a bloody, single-minded agenda: Eradicate Palestinian resistance. What is also clear is that they have murder on their minds - and neither conscience nor guilt in their hearts. Dubai
3. The Daily Telegraph
If the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] is compelled to enter Gaza, events will be hard to control. Such action could ignite trouble in the West Bank, where tensions remain high following the murder of a Palestinian boy in an apparent tit-for-tat response to the killing of three Israeli students. Again, the Israelis have acted properly by arresting the suspects and allowing the law to take its course. With so much mayhem around it, Israel looks like a democratic oasis of relative calm. Of course, its government's first priority must be the protection of its people. But if that can be achieved without fomenting even more jihadist fanaticism, that must be to Israel's long-term advantage. London
