Israel needs to choose its battles wisely

Israel has an unfortunate tendency to deflect criticism of its reaction to attacks by Hamas and rationalize even the most blatant disregard for the lives and wellbeing of innocent Palestinians who happen to find themselves in the middle of these two warring parties.  While these defense mechanisms may sound legitimate inside Israel, Israel’s right to protect itself does not matter to Palestinians while the rest of the world is not so willing to accept Israel’s rationales.  Gone are the days when Israel could respond to an escalating conflict with Hamas by unleashing a deadly barrage of missile attacks on the Gaza Strip, especially considering the potential security risk that globalized terrorism now plays in Israel’s conflict with Hamas.  Consequently, Israel needs to make an even greater effort to avoid causalities and collateral damage, which may well involve far more careful ground missions.