• FAA Lifts Ban on U.S. Airline Flights to Israel
  A ban on U.S. airline flights to Israel because of the fighting in Gaza was lifted late Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA made the decision to end the ban after reviewing measures the Israeli government was taking to mitigate risks to civilian aircraft. (NBC News)
• UN Human Rights Council Votes to Probe War Crimes in Gaza - Nick Cumming-Bruce
  The UN Human Rights Council voted to establish an inquiry into human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank at a special session on Wednesday. 29 members voted for the resolution, 17 abstained, and only the U.S. voted against. American Ambassador Keith M. Harper said the inquiry created by the council was a "biased and political instrument."  (New York Times)
      See also Text: Human Rights Council Establishes Independent, International Commission of Inquiry (Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights)
      See also Israel: Human Rights Council Decision "Should Be Rejected by Decent People Everywhere"
  The decision by the UNHRC is a travesty and should be rejected by decent people everywhere. Rather than investigate Hamas, which is committing a double war crime by firing rockets at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians, the UNHRC calls for an investigation of Israel, which has gone to unprecedented lengths to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm's way.
      The UNHRC should launch an investigation into Hamas' decision to turn hospitals into military command centers, use schools as weapons depots and place missile batteries next to playgrounds, private homes and mosques. Like the investigation that led to the infamous Goldstone report, this investigation by a kangaroo court is a foregone conclusion. (Prime Minister's Office)
      See also At UN, Canada Blames Hamas for Gaza Casualties - Les Whittington
  Canada's representative to the UN, Guillermo Rishchynski, told the Security Council on Tuesday: "The indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are terrorist acts, for which there can be no justification." Hamas has "sought to deliberately put civilians, from both sides, in mortal danger." "The Israel Defense Forces have continued to demonstrate a commitment to minimize civilian casualties in response to the relentless rocket attacks," he added.
      Canada called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to disarm Hamas, eliminate militias and private armies in Gaza, and keep smugglers from making military equipment available to militants there. (Toronto Star-Canada)
• Judge Finds North Korea, Iran Liable for Missile Damages - Michael Doyle
  U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on Wednesday found North Korea and Iran liable for damages caused by a series of missile attacks on Israel in 2006 because they "provided material support and assistance to the Hizbullah terrorists who fired the rockets at Israel."
      "North Korea provided Hizbullah with advanced weapons, expert advice and construction assistance in hiding these weapons in underground bunkers, and training in utilizing these weapons and bunkers to cause terrorist rocket attacks on Israel's civilian population and Iran financed North Korea's assistance and helped transport weapons to Hizbullah."  (McClatchy)
      See also Text of the Court Decision (U.S. District Court-Washington)

• 200 Gazan Terrorists Killed, 150 Taken Prisoner
  More than 200 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists have been killed by the IDF since the start of the ground offensive last Thursday. The IDF took some 150 Hamas terrorists prisoner after they surrendered Wednesday in the southern Gaza cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah. See photos of captured Hamas prisoners. (Jerusalem Post)
      See also IDF Strikes Senior Islamic Jihad Commanders - Yaakov Lappin
  In recent days, the Israel Security Agency and the IDF targeted Islamic Jihad field commanders who stood behind many attacks on the army and rocket fire on Israeli civilians. They include Akram Salah Muhammad Sha'ar, a senior Islamic Jihad member in the Khan Yunis area; and battalion commanders Muhammad Awad Ali Ziada, from Jabalia; Sa'aban Khaled Sa'aban Dahduah, from Gaza City; and Said Muhammad Nasser Abu Muamar, of Rafah. (Jerusalem Post)
      See also Tanks Operating in Gaza Protected by Trophy Anti-Missile System - Yaakov Lappin
  Israeli Merkava 4 tanks operating inside Gaza are protected by the Trophy anti-missile system, and as a result are able to move deep inside enemy territory and destroy targets from a distance, while dealing with the threat of anti-tank missiles. (Jerusalem Post)
      See also Six Palestinian Rockets Intercepted over Central Israel Thursday - Yoav Zitun and Gilad Morag (Ynet News)
• Hamas Leader Rejects Cease-Fire, Will Never Agree to Disarm - Roi Kais
  Hamas political chief Khaled Mashal said Wednesday in Qatar: "We reject the cycle of cease-fire and negotiations. We rejected it today and we will reject it in the future." Mashal stressed that Hamas will never agree to demilitarization. "No one can disarm the resistance," he said. (Ynet News)
      See also Kerry Leaves Israel without Breakthrough in Gaza Cease-Fire Talks - Barak Ravid
  Senior officials in Secretary of State John Kerry's entourage said after his meetings in Israel on Wednesday that a cease-fire is not around the corner. (Ha'aretz)
      See also New Push to Lure Hamas into Truce - Jay Solomon, Nicholas Casey and Tamer El-Ghobashy
  The Obama administration, Israel and other Middle East allies are refashioning an Egyptian cease-fire proposal to assure Hamas that Gaza's economic interests would be addressed if the Islamist group stops rocket attacks, senior U.S. and Arab officials said. Diplomats outlined a two-stage plan under which Israel and Hamas would agree to stop military operations, and the U.S. and the international community would then move quickly to begin talks on a longer-term recovery program for Gaza.
      Secretary of State John Kerry outlined the proposal during discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Wednesday. (Wall Street Journal)
• Israel Singles Out Qatar as Key Hamas Terror Sponsor - Elhanan Miller
  President Shimon Peres accused Qatar on Wednesday of becoming "the world's largest funder of terror" due to its financial support for Hamas in Gaza. "Qatar does not have the right to send money for rockets and tunnels which are fired at innocent civilians," he told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem. "Their funding of terror must stop."
      Former national security adviser Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror said the emirate's funding for Hamas' terror apparatus, including tunnel diggers and rocket launchers, has continued unabated. (Times of Israel)
• 30,000 Gather to Honor IDF Soldier from L.A., Killed in Gaza - Bradley Burston
  Sgt. Max Steinberg, 24, was from Los Angeles' West San Fernando Valley. After he first visited Israel on a Birthright trip in 2012, he decided to move here and join the IDF. A member of the Golani infantry brigade, he was killed last Saturday night in Gaza.
      Only a handful of the some 30,000 mourners had even heard of Max Steinberg prior to his death. During the day preceding the funeral, calls were made on Facebook to attend Steinberg's funeral. "As I look around right now, I am overwhelmed by the impact you had on so many lives," Max's sister Paige said. "It is unbelievable to see how many people are here in your honor." U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said, "A son of the United States, a soldier of Israel, he represented the best of both of our countries."  (Ha'aretz)
• Israeli Pilots Describe Their Determination to Avoid Civilian Casualties in Gaza - Nechama Douek
  Lt. Col. Ram Shmueli, 54, has been a fighter pilot in the Israel Air Force for 36 years. He says, "The moment our country is under attack, there are no dilemmas. If our children are reduced to hiding in bomb shelters, there is no reason we should not be using all methods at our disposal to remove the threat and eliminate those responsible. Rockets into our cities are an insufferable situation, one that no other country in the world would permit."
      "I have friends in foreign air forces who think that the efforts we take to avoid civilian casualties are outrageous, bordering on irresponsible for a military tasked, first and foremost, with defending its own citizens. Let's be clear: calling and sending text messages to civilians warning them to evacuate a structure, and instructing them on exactly where to go for safety, demands tremendous resources."
      "You are also providing the enemy with actionable intelligence. The 'knock on the roof' policy is not just a warning to civilians. It is also a statement to the enemy saying 'This is what we plan to do in five minutes, and this is exactly where we plan to do it.' This is obviously a questionable military tactic. It allows Hamas forces to remove rocket launchers from targeted structures, prepare ambushes for IDF forces, or...send civilians into these structures, forcing us to abort important missions, or incur terrible consequences."  (Ynet News)

• The U.S. Should Push for the Disarming of Hamas in Gaza-Israel Cease-Fire - Editorial
  As of Wednesday, the Israeli army had uncovered 28 tunnels in Gaza, and nearly half extended into Israel. The newly discovered structures have only one conceivable purpose: to launch attacks inside Israel. Three times in recent days, Hamas fighters emerged from the tunnels in the vicinity of Israeli civilian communities, which they clearly aimed to attack.
      The depravity of Hamas' strategy seems lost on much of the outside world, which - following the terrorists' script - blames Israel for the civilian casualties it inflicts while attempting to destroy the tunnels.
      While Secretary of State John Kerry, the Egyptian government and other would-be brokers are right to seek a cease-fire, they should reject Hamas' agenda. Instead, any political accord should link opening of the borders and other economic concessions to the return to Gaza of the security forces of the Palestinian Authority and the disarmament of Hamas. (Washington Post)
• Israel Is in the Right - Ari Shavit
  Hamas are Palestinian neo-Nazis. They've turned the first strip of Palestinian land that was granted freedom into a bastion of totalitarianism. They've incessantly attacked Israel for roughly a decade. They staunchly rejected every Israeli attempt to prevent the current escalation. They stubbornly fired thousands of rockets at civilians.
      The murderous terrorist organization that took over Gaza in 2007, while executing many of its own people, is an organization of war criminals. By no means can they be allowed to win this difficult conflict, and by no means can we show any empathy for the evil they represent. (Ha'aretz)
• Gaza: How Hamas Tunnel Network Grew - Dr. Eado Hecht
  Hamas built a maze of underground concrete bunkers connected with tunnels and multiple entrances and exits underneath the residential areas of Gaza. These underground complexes are similar in concept to the Viet Cong tunnels dug beneath the jungles of South Vietnam, though the quality of finishing is better, with concrete walls and roofs, electricity and other required amenities for lengthy sojourn.
      After the failure of Hamas' rocket forces to inflict significant damage on Israeli towns in November 2012, they decided to build a large offensive-tunnel capability that would enable them to infiltrate assault teams into Israeli villages within a few kilometers of the border or place large bombs underneath these villages.
      To discover the tunnels, the Israelis must either have excellent intelligence from within Gaza or they must go in and search for them house by house. Destroying a tunnel is a lengthy and complex operation. The entire length of the tunnel and its branches must be located, mapped and then completely destroyed. The writer is a lecturer in military doctrine at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. (BBC News)
• "Proportionality" Does Not Mean a Proportionate Number Has to Die - Gabriel Sassoon
  Watching the debate in the UK over Gaza is like peering into a parallel universe. This is a nation which sent its troops thousands of miles away to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which were firing a single rocket at Britain. Over 100,000 Iraqi civilians were killed, while no civilians in Britain were killed in the fighting, and "only" 179 British soldiers were killed. Over 20,000 Afghan civilians were killed, while no British civilians were killed, and "only" 453 British soldiers were killed.
      What does the "low" British casualty rate tell us? Nothing at all. "Proportionality" does not mean that a "proportionate" number from each side has to die for a war to be fought morally and legally. Does anybody believe that, because of the low British body count, Britain indiscriminately murdered civilians and invaded these countries to commit war crimes? (Telegraph-UK)
• Hamas Has Built a Monster of Death and Destruction Aimed at Israel - Aharon Lapidot
  I was watching foreign correspondents reporting from Gaza. With their bullet-proof vests, they stand in the middle of the street against a background of the ruins left as a result of IDF strikes, as women, children, and wounded scurry around them. None of them notice that a key component of the scene is missing.
      If, God forbid, any rocket were to fall in a populated area in Israel, the first ones to swamp the scene would be the uniformed rescue forces: police officers, soldiers, firefighters, paramedics. No one in uniform is seen in any of the reports from Gaza. Where are the Hamas soldiers and police in Gaza when an Israeli bomb falls? They are hiding underground in the immense tunnel system constructed beneath the city, in Underground Gaza.
      In the clearest possible manner we have been faced with a dizzying reality. Hamas has built a monster of death and destruction aimed at us. The billions of dollars in humanitarian aid, tens of thousands of tons of concrete and construction materials, the electricity and water that Israel has supplied to Gaza for years - have been used to build these tunnels, which are intended to kill as many Israelis as possible. (Israel Hayom)
• Muslim Double Standards Abound - Tarek Fatah
  Muslims around the world have taken to the streets and social media to protest Israel's Operation Protective Edge. Undoubtedly the death of 200 Arabs, many of them civilian women and children, is tragic and worthy of condemnation. However, just next door to Israel almost 200,000 Arabs have been killed by fellow Arabs in Syria, but that tragedy has triggered no public demonstrations of anger in Islamic capitals.
      Few are aware of Pakistan's operation underway against the Taliban inside that country, which has killed over 400 and made over 900,000 Pashtun Pakistanis homeless and destitute in their own country. (Toronto Sun-Canada)
• Jihadi Surge Means Isolation for Hamas - John R. Bradley
  In the Arab world, an air of indifference reins regarding Israel's military offensive in Gaza. The dramatic rise of the jihadi outfit the Islamic State is one of the key reasons. Aside from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are the two countries that matter geopolitically, and both are threatened by jihadi-inspired unrest on the back of the successes of the Islamic State - an outfit that Hamas has reportedly been forging links with.
      The Islamist State's goal is not only the destruction of Israel, but also the overthrow of the Saudi and Jordanian monarchies. Though they loathe to acknowledge the fact publicly, Saudi Arabia and Jordan would quietly welcome the eradication of Salafist-aligned Hamas' military capabilities. (Jewish Chronicle-UK)
      See also Palestinians: The Arabs Betrayed Us - Again - Khaled Abu Toameh
  Arab indifference and silence toward the current war between Israel and Hamas has once again reminded Palestinians of the "betrayal" by their Arab brethren. True, there have been some marches in a number of Arab countries in solidarity with the Palestinians, but with a small number of participants. The Arab governments moved quickly to suppress any show of support for Palestinians. (Gatestone Institute)
• The Goldstone Effect - Gerald M. Steinberg
  From the first day of Israel's response to renewed and deadly rocket attacks from Gaza, the network of highly politicized non-governmental organizations (NGOs) went into high gear, issuing numerous condemnations, primarily directed at Israel. And once again, their reports and statements are quoted by political leaders and journalists without any independent examination, reinforcing existing biases and false allegations, and fueling hate and violence.
      The NGO network that claims to promote moral agendas has largely ignored Palestinian terror, and the massive tunnels and thousands of rockets acquired by Hamas. Every missile located among civilians and every attack against Israeli cities constitutes a war crime, but these are not part of the NGO network's definition of human rights. The writer is professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and president of NGO Monitor. (Times of Israel)

The Latest Hamas-Israel Confrontation - Some Pertinent Legal Points - Alan Baker (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

• The ideological foundation of Hamas as set out in its national charter, and its actions of indiscriminate terror directed against Israeli citizens, clearly define its character as a terrorist entity. Hamas has been formally outlawed in several major states.
• Hamas' indiscriminate targeting of Israel's civilian population centers, and the deliberate and cynical use of its own civilians, mosques, hospitals and schools as human shields, are violations of international humanitarian law. for which Hamas' leaders and commanders are accountable and prosecutable.
• International law recognizes Israel's right to defend itself, whether by the conventional international right of self-defense as set out in the UN Charter or by the international customary right to self-defense.
• Accusations that Israel is collectively punishing the Palestinian population of Gaza have no basis. Israel's military actions are solely directed to one strategic and tactical purpose, not to punish the population, but to halt the indiscriminate rocket fire and terror infiltration into Israel's sovereign territory.
• The allegation that Israel uses disproportionate force is a misreading of the international rules of proportionality in armed conflict, which are intended to regulate the extent of force needed in relation to the military challenge anticipated.
  
  Amb. Alan Baker served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israel's ambassador to Canada.