Gaza, the world's largest outdoor prison, is under sustained aerial bombardment, which means in plain English that Israeli forces are dropping bombs on people with nowhere to flee. The death toll at this moment: 270 Gazans.
There has been a heavy civilian loss of life, according to the Ottawa Citizen's print edition (the lengthy article "'Now is the time for fighting,' Israel says," which carries considerable criticism of Israel, has been removed from its on-line edition, and replaced with a more politically acceptable one).
The body count rises, while the US and Britain blame it all on Hamas, the elected government of Gaza. But even our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, has responded to the attacks with a call for both sides "to use all efforts to avoid civilian casualties and to create the conditions to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Gaza."
And Nicholas Sarkozy, whose election in France was celebrated by the Usual Suspects, condemned Israel's "disproportionate use of force."
Israel, however, will continue with its latest measured response: "The operation will last as long as necessary," says Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak. In other words, we can expect lots more dead civilians in the coming hours and days.
UPDATE: Being called an anti-Semite by a blogger who jokes about the Holocaust and defends neo-Nazis is, as I've mentioned before in a similar connection, a perverse badge of honour. Welcome, SDA readers, but please note that cussin' and trollin' are no longer permitted here.
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