Catastrophe in Gaza has deep roots

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza goes beyond Israeli-Palestinian animosity.

"The question that routinely comes up regarding US foreign policy these days is: What in the world were they thinking?" says The Wall Street Journal. The latest "puzzlement" came over the weekend, when the US secretary of state, John Kerry, "blundered" into the three-week conflict in Gaza, promoting a ceasefire floated by Turkey and Qatar that was close to the terms being demanded by Hamas.

President Obama didn't endorse the plan per se, but talked of the strategic imperative of an "immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now" and leads to a deal based on the November 2012 ceasefire. But that "is the one that let Hamas rearm".

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