“There is an awful inevitability to Israeli actions in Gaza, both in their origins and their consequences. Israel is a liberal, democratic nation with a grave respect for human life. Perhaps uniquely among liberal and democratic nations, however, Israel is the constant target of rocket attacks.

The current Israeli Defence Force operations in Gaza began on Wednesday with the assassination of Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari, the head of the military wing of Hamas. Their timing is most likely a result of political considerations, chief among them the recent US election and the pending Israeli elections. But this is not a cynical act. Hundreds of rockets strike Israel every year, some with a range of up to 30 miles. No country could be expected to put up with this indefinitely.

And so, periodically, Israel does not put up with it. There has been a steady paramilitary build-up in Gaza since the last assault in 2009. The dismay the world feels when Israel launches such an attack is perhaps only half caused by the casualties on both sides that will follow. It is also sadness that this is happening once more and horror at the expectation that it will happen again.”

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