The utterly depressing truth about the violence that is again unfolding in the Middle East is that it is all too familiar. If one compared reports of heavy fighting in Gaza in 2009 and 2014 to the present day, many of the details would be the same. Families fleeing homes reduced to rubble. That is evident again in the latest casualty list: At least 10 on the Israeli side, including two children, and at least 188Palestinians, including more than 50 children. There is, however, a reason to think that this time the situation is even worse because, for the first time, violence is erupting between Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel’s mixed cities.

Source: Irish Examiner May 17, 2021 06:56 UTC