A government's first duty is the protection of its citizens. Those who have attacked Israel's military action in Gaza seem to think that this does not apply when those citizens are Israeli.
Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks has told BBC listeners that the blame for the Gaza conflict should be placed on Iran.
The chief rabbi had given the Thought For The Day, the daily religious item on the Today programme on Radio 4, when he was asked what he thought of the current Israel- Gaza conflict. Lord Sacks said: "I think it's got to do with Iran."
Britain's ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, returned today from a spontaneous visit to Kiryat Malachi, where three Israelis were killed by Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza, pledging solidarity with the people of southern Israel.
Even as initial reports of Operation Pillar of Defence were filtering through, it was pointed out that this could be the first time an official military campaign had been confirmed on Twitter.
Israel made one tactical mistake in its limited war with Hizbollah in 2006 which it repeated in 2009 with Hamas. It let intense rocket fire on Israeli cities dictate a longer than necessary timetable for war.
The news of a possible ground assault on Gaza was met with a mixture of trepidation and relief in Beersheva, which was under renewed attack on Wednesday.
At around 8pm, six Grad rockets were fired towards the city. One struck the centre, causing damage to a car and shops, but no injuries were reported.
Diaspora groups have expressed support for Israel and emphasised its right to defending itself as rocket fire rains down on civilians living near to the Gaza border.
