OpEd - SubScribe14

The commentators 17-07-14

...on Gaza

The war in Gaza is entering its most dangerous phase yet. Every attempt at a ceasefire has broken down, Palestinian militants have entered Israeli territory, and Israel, having warned 100,000 residents of northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, has now begun its first ground invasion of Hamas territory in five years.
- Shashank Joshi, Daily Telegraph

Israel's effort to avoid casualties has been so huge they’ve managed to keep the number of children they bombed on a beach down to four. The beach was obviously a legitimate military target, as surveillance photos must have showed a series of miniature castles along the beach, each constructed with alarming speed with a bucket and spade, creating fortresses that comprised a terrifying threat to the people of Israel so what could any reasonable army do but kill some children there?
- Mark Steel, Independent

Israel could learn a lesson from Britain and Spain, both of which managed to defeat terrorist challenges that were once seen as insoluble.
The analogy is imperfect, for rockets weren’t falling on London or Madrid. But Spain could have sent troops to quash Basque terrorists, and Britain could have bulldozed the offices of the I.R.A.’s political wing in Belfast.
- Nicholas Kristof, The International New York Times

For anyone concerned with the fate of Gazans, and who understands the situation on the ground, it's already clear that the ceasefire won’t save the Palestinians living there.
- Yara Hawari, the Independent

The Israelis have pulled out all the stops in trying to hunt down the murderers of the Palestinian teenager Abu Khdeir, whose body was discovered in a forest hours after he was kidnapped off a Jerusalem street. But I have not seen a single report indicating that Al Fatah (which controls the West Bank) or Hamas (which rules Gaza) have lifted a finger to track the abductors and killers of the three Israeli teenagers murdered while hitch-hiking home across Palestinian territory.
- Frederick Forsyth, Daily Express

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Stevie Spring

The annual Editorial Intelligence comment awards were officially launched last month with the announcement of the seventy-strong panel of judges to be led by Stevie Spring, chair of Children in Need.
They include Lorraine Heggessey, Nihal Arthanayake, Karren Brady, Damian Barr, Lynne Franks, Nicky Gavron, Laura Kuenssberg, Adrian Monck and Kirsty Lang.
Anyone is invited to nominate their favourite commentators for the awards, which are divided into 16 categories. There is no charge for entry.

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