Israel Finds No War Crimes in Gaza Attacks

Party shares blame with Israel for sky-high unemployment

(NEWSER) - As joblessness mounts in the beleaguered Gaza Strip, more and more residents are blaming the ruling Hamas party for their woes, GlobalPost reports. Although Gaza has one of the fastest population growth rates on earth, 45% of people have no job and 85% depend on aid to get by. And while Palestinians largely blame Israel’s stifling economic blockade, they are increasingly turning their ire on Hamas, too. More»

(NEWSER) - Explosives-laden horses were part of an attempt today by Palestinian militants to plant bombs in Israel, the BBC reports. Israel says it shot and killed four men—who where wearing explosive vests—and their explosive-laden horses after they first fired on a border post. The Israeli response to the men and their horses was carried out with machine guns, tanks, and helicopters. More»

Government fears tribunals following civilian deaths in Gaza war

(AP) - Special legal teams will defend Israeli soldiers against potential war crimes charges stemming from civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today, promising the country would "fully back" those who fought in the three-week offensive. "The soldiers and commanders who were sent on missions in Gaza must know that they are safe from various tribunals,” Olmert said. More»

Really, it's all totally cut and dried. Promise. What?

(NEWSER) - Many geopolitical conflicts are “morally complicated,” writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post, but “the Israel-Gaza war is not.” Israel wants only peace, while Hamas wants only the eradication of Israel. The Israelis are so scrupulous that they contact enemy noncombatants in advance to warn them of impending assaults, whereas Hamas purposely puts its weapon stashes near its own people. More»

Israel keeps schools closed as citizens huddle in bomb shelters

(NEWSER) - Gaza and Israel continued to exchange rocket attacks for air strikes this weekend, leaving 18 Palestinians dead, four Israelis wounded, and world leaders weighing in on the latest round of Middle East violence, the Guardian reports. On the Israeli side, schools were kept closed and thousands of civilians spent hours huddled in bomb shelters. In Palestine, an air strike on a refugee camp left a 12-year-old boy among the dead. Another 26 Palestinians were reported hurt, five seriously. More»