There is no shortage of analysis and commentary concerning Israel's attempt to destroy Hamas' ability to fire rockets indiscriminately into civilian communities. But Melanie Phillips makes several key points in this column published Sunday in The Spectator that are worth reading.

She notes that those speaking the loudest for Israeli restraint were silent about the "bombardment of Israeli towns by more than 6000 rockets in the past six years, deliberately targeting innocent civilians," and continue to ignore Hamas' use of Gaza residents as human shields. When those innocents are injured or killed, it fuels the cries of disproportionate force and demands for a ceasefire. No one challenges the terror masters to stop placing them in harm's way:

"The worst thing is the moral inversion, in which the murderous victimisation of innocent Israelis is ignored while their murderers are described as ‘civilians' when they are finally killed by the Israelis -- who are demonstrably taking care to avoid civilian casualties wherever possible."

Phillips points out reporting in a New York Times story which demonstrates clearly the nature of those Israel fights. The article describes a Palestinian woman's search for her husband in a Gaza hospital. It turned out the man was shot in the head, "like five others killed at the hospital this way in 24 hours," (emphasis added) for allegedly collaborating with Israel. "A crowd at the hospital showed no mercy after the shooting, which was widely observed," the Times story continued.

So much for the Hippocratic Oath. Phillips, meanwhile, offers a small ray of hope by citing Reform Party of Syria President Farid Ghadry's refreshingly candid assessment:

"We Arabs must be the ones to stop Hamas and Hizbullah, rather than support their demonic and twisted logic of resisting development, enlightenment, and progress of the region. Even when development and enlightenment stare them in the face, their instinct is to destroy them pretending to safeguard their honor, the mechanics of which supersede all else including a happy life of fulfillment and accomplishments. So while we abhor violence of all kind, Israel's campaign against Hamas must continue to the bitter end not only for the sake of peace but also to help Arabs realize they have a choice: Destroy like Gaza or develop like Dubai."

Finally, for a more tongue-in-cheek essay, see Martin Lewis' entry on the Huffington Post.