Gaza Flare-Up Brings All-Too-Familiar Dread To Israelis, Palestinians -- Batsheva Sobelman & Henry Chu, L.A. Times
With rockets showering down on Israel and corpses piling up in Gaza, residents on either side of the divide have been left with a dreadful feeling of deja vu.
But the question is: Are they witnessing a rerun from 2009 or from 2012?
In January 2009, Israeli tanks withdrew from the Gaza Strip after a 22-day offensive mounted in response to increased rocket fire from Islamic militants inside the narrow seaside enclave. More than 1,000 Palestinians were killed, hundreds of them civilians; 13 Israelis died, most of them soldiers.
In November 2012, hostilities flared again. Israel girded itself for another ground operation; Hamas, the extremist group that controls Gaza, vowed resistance. But an internationally brokered cease-fire meant the threatened incursion never materialized.
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- July 10, 2014
In Palestine, a slow-motion crisis we saw coming -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Hamas drifts into Gaza fight it doesn't know how to finish -- Nidal al-Mughrabi and Noah Browning, Reuters
NATO Must Stop ISIL Before It’s Too Late -- Philip Seib, Defense One
Why Iraq Is More Stable Than You Think -- Douglas Ollivant, Politico
Iran’s Middle East Nightmare -- Zachary Keck, The Diplomat
Machiavelli, Not Metternich: The Pipe Dream of Realignment with Iran -- Thomas Vien, National Interest
Afghanistan’s Dilemma -- New York Times editorial
4 Reasons To Stop Talking To China--Now -- Gordon G. Chang, Forbes
Australia, Japan and the future of strategic relationships in Asia -- The Strategist
A bitter 'happy birthday' for warring South Sudan -- Jason Patinkin, CSM
Egypt Silent as Neighbors Wage Battles -- Kareem Fahim, NYT
Terror’s insidious new face -- Alex Perry, Washington Post/Newsweek
For Better or Worse, Russia Is Not Isolated -- Mark Adomanis, Moscow Times
Why Moldova Urgently Matters -- Robert Kaplan, Stratfor