Blame hatred of Israel for attacks – Chicago Sun-Times.

Over the next few days you’re going to hear a lot of analysis and commentary offering up this nuanced explanation or that complex interpretation for the latest round of Israel-Hamas fighting in the Gaza Strip and the latest drive by the Palestinian Authority for enhanced U.N. recognition. But there’s nothing nuanced or complex about them. Both represent the simple fact of the persistent, uncompromising, never-ending rejection of the state of Israel by the Palestinians and their Arab and Muslim supporters.

Yes, the PA and Hamas may be competing for support among the Palestinians by trying to demonstrate who’s doing the most to confront Israel — PA President Mahmoud Abbas by a diplomatic offensive in the U.N. and Hamas with a terror offensive of raining rockets on Israel. But the bottom line is neither demonstrates a willingness to sit down and talk to reach a peaceable settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Yes, there may be frustration among the Palestinian population on the lack of progress toward reaching a settlement. But how can progress be achieved when Abbas turns a cold shoulder to Israel’s entreaties to come to the bargaining table and Hamas rejects the very notion of talks?

Yes, the so-called “Arab spring” adds a new element into the Middle East equation. But mostly it is only a more fundamentalist, aggressive and reckless hatred of Israel that could explode in incalculable consequences, in contrast to the more cautious rejectionism of Arab dictators like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, for whom self-preservation overruled hazardous provocation of Palestinians — a people they never cared for much.

Yes, the upheaval overthrowing regimes in places like Libya unleashed a flood of new weapons into the hands of Gaza-based terrorists. But Iran already was working overtime to get as many rockets, mortars and guns to them as possible.

All these factors have come together to produce the Gaza crisis at this time. But it was going to come eventually one way or the other given the history of rejectionism. As recently as 2008 Abbas walked away from a comprehensive peace settlement. In 2005 Israel uprooted settlements and left Gaza. That was an opportunity for the Palestinians to show they could create a civil society; instead Hamas built a terror statelet.

Now Abbas seeks U.N. observer state status — what the Vatican has — to use the levers of U.N. authority like the international criminal court to harass and demonize Israel. Israel may — and should — stop collecting taxes for the PA and distributing them to it to show what a charade Palestinian governance is. Besides those taxes, the PA lives off the charity of donor nations who have reduced their aid due to the West’s economic problems and probably to frustration with PA corruption and incompetence.

And no nation can — or should — tolerate unrelenting rocket attacks liked those inflicted on the Jewish state by the Hamas terrorists. In recent weeks, hundreds of rockets have been launched, killing, wounding and terrorizing Israelis. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says the airstrike that killed Hamas butcher Ahmed al-Jabari and the raids on Gaza terrorist strongholds and arsenals mark the beginning, not the end, of Israel’s “Pillar of Defense” campaign.

Blame all the bloodshed that’s to come where it belongs — Palestinian rejection of a negotiated peace and of the Jewish state.

Live Updates: Massive Strike on Terror Targets in Gaza.

07:30 AM: Overnight, the IDF targeted approximately 150 medium range rocket launching sites as well as ammunition storage facilities across the Gaza Strip, causing severe damage to terror infrastructures. As a result, rocket fire at Israel overnight was significantly decreased, with only a few hits landing in open areas.

US Senate unanimous in ‘vigorous support and unwavering commitment’ for Israel | The Times of Israel.

Panetta speaks to Barak, reiterates American position — that Israel has a right to protect its citizens

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (photo credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

The United States Senate sent a message of solidarity to Israel on Thursday by unanimously passing a resolution that expressed firm support for Israel’s right to protect its people from terrorism on the second day of Pillar of Defense.

Introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), Senate Resolution 599 expressed ”vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizing and strongly supporting its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism.”

Sixty-two Senators joined the bipartisan resolution as co-sponsors.

Also on Thursday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta talked to Minister of Defense Ehud Barak and told him Jerusalem has a right to defend its citizens. A US official confirmed the two leaders’ conversation to CNN. The spokesperson said they discussed Pillar of Defense and the “unacceptable attacks” used by Hamas and other groups in Gaza, and that Panetta reiterated the American position — that Israel has a right to protect itself.

On Wednesday, the State Department strongly condemned Hamas for launching rockets at Israel. “There is justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel,” the statement read. “We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately.”

“Attacking Israel on a near daily basis does nothing to help Palestinians in Gaza or to move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving self determination,” the statement read.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Barack Obama late Wednesday to update him on the situation and thank the White House for its support of Israel. “The prime minister expressed his deep appreciation for US President Obama’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a release.

Obama and Netanyahu agreed that Hamas needs to stop its attacks on Israel to allow tensions to ease, the White House said. The two leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days. They agreed on the need to de-escalate the conflict as quickly as possible.

On Wednesday, Israel began the large military operation Pillar of Defense against targets in Gaza, following three days of heavy rocket fire on the south of Israel. The IDF said late Thursday it carried out 340 strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip since launching the operation.

On Thursday, two missiles fell near Tel Aviv at around 7 p.m. The launchings mark an unprecedented escalation in the ongoing conflict with Gaza; it was the first time air raid sirens rang out in the populous Gush Dan area since the Gulf War in 1991. Booms were heard in the south of the city and Holon. In all, more than 300 rockets had been fired at Israel by Thursday night.

Joshua Davidovich contributed to this report.