Like a hungry lion recognizing a juvenile antelope the Israeli Prime Minister declared war when 50-plus years of occupation exposed the failure of Israel’s Defence Force and the government’s settler policy. It is a wonder, is it not, that Hamas was allowed to exist in the occupied territory. Israel has been known to be ready to strike Iran. Why not Hamas?

The headlines tell an unintended truth. The Gulf War was “Showdown in the Gulf” and we were left wondering “Where are the closely matched fast guns?”. Flattening Gaza is not a war. Since the declaration there is no firefight, no pitched battle, no artillery duel, repeated air strikes and no counterstrike. There was short-lived rocket fire from Hamas shortly after the declaration of war. Israel cannot say it did not know that its planned operation in Gaza would violate international law and morality.