GAZA CATASTROPHE

Jesus spoke about the Old Testament maxim of an eye for an eye, and pointed his hearers towards the kingdom of God where we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. In response to rockets from the Gaza strip, the Israelis have this weekend launched an attack which in one day caused nearly 300 deaths. About 100 of these deaths were civilian including women and children. In one day more people died in the Gaza strip than all the British forces killed in 7 years of fighting in Afghanistan. The Israelis in their devastating response have lost any sense of the proportion which an eye for an eye pointed to. In January, Barack Obama becomes President. Let's hope that his administration is able to bring some new thinking into the situation which will break the tragic cycle of violence and death. As you read the news report about the area, it is striking and tragic how often children are the ones who suffer and die in the conflict. Gaza in pictures here.