The airstrike today that killed four children was very bad. Even being a supporter of Israel, it’s very difficult to justify this, and it turns public opinion rapidly against Israel when it happens. Very unfortunate.

I’m also trying to understand what the goal of a ground operation would be, and finding it difficult to come up with a scenario that makes sense. Without committing to a full-scale war against Hamas, with all that entails (which would probably be impossible in the current climate), what could Israel really achieve with an invasion of Gaza?

And even worse is the prospect that it could turn into another lengthy occupation.

I agree with Obama that Israel absolutely has the right to defend against missile attacks, but it seems like an invasion wouldn’t do much to achieve that end. At best, they can do enough damage to set Hamas back in the very short term, but there’s no shortage of explosives and weaponry in the region and without a comprehensive plan to prevent Hamas from building up their arsenals, it’s just going to happen all over again in the not very distant future.

This is what frustrates every President - there’s no end game visible, no matter how you restructure the playing field.