Israeli warplanes continue to pound targets in Gaza, while Hamas rockets continue to rain down on Israel.

Benny Morris explains why Israelis feel threatened. In a related piece, Bret Stephens explains why Hamas knows one big thing.

Michael Ledeen puts the Israeli-Hamas conflict in a larger context.

Is Hamas hoping for an Israeli ground operation?

Arthur Herman believes the Iranians will offer President Obama a Devil's Bargain.

It all boils down to one thing, unfortunately. That is the fact that a majority of the Arabs, especially Palestinian Arabs, do not and will not accept the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. Add to their numbers those other Muslims (like the Iranian leadership) who also do not accept their existence, and the various other anti-Semites of different races and creeds who join them in their belief, and those who may not be anti-Semitic but agree that the establishment of Israel was an injustice, and you come up with a rather large population of people who agree that Israel needs to go. There are only two ways to achieve a lasting peace. Either a majority of Arabs, Muslims and others acquiesce to the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, or Israel is destroyed (or ceases to be a Jewish state). I expect the on-again, off-again war between Israel and it's enemies will continue at least for the next several decades, if not longer.