An animated illustration of rockets hitting Paris, London and Berlin and some other illustrative clips

The worldview of Hamas extends far beyond Israel and the Jews. By its own words, it seeks global Islamic domination, the restoration of the transnational Caliphate, rejection of Western values, and the repudiation of basic human rights.

The Israeli operation is meant to impress on Hamas that there is something far worse than the sanctions.

Having watched the war on the North and the missiles in the South I think I know what it was like for those who lived outside the zone of terror. Their life, like mine today, was ordinary. They were not constantly afraid.

Until and unless the UN and the rest of the international community recognize that Hamas is committing war crimes and that Israel is acting in self-defense and out of military necessity, the conflict will continue and perhaps escalate.

Among those who protest Israel's military campaign against Hamas there are quite a few people who are willing to not only demonstrate and argue in defense of the Islamist group, but even to identify with it.

For the longer haul, the big issue in Gaza, as in Lebanon, is whether there will be the prevention of the smuggling in of more and more sophisticated weapons. Ultimately, the success of any cease-fire should be judged by the success of this goal