There is a tendency to condemn Israeli military action as being disproportionate to the attacks it has suffered. Images of helicopters destroying buildings with rockets and tanks leveling barriers hastily erected by stone throwing Palestinians have been seared into the minds of many thanks to the omnipresence of CNN and the 24 hour news networks. The decision in 1948 to create the state of Israel has had one of the longest running effects on world peace in recorded history, and it has been a history filled with wrong doings by both sides. The Palestinians under Hamas have adopted a hard line approach, refusing to accept anything less than a restoration of the status quo prior to the existence of Israel. Israel has refused to abandon settlements to create a continuous Palestinian state in the West Bank, in spite of intense international pressure to do so, and has responded very heavy-handedly to past attacks and threats. Israel’s neighbors have launched surprise attacks and wars of aggression in the past, and many states have sworn to see Israel pushed into the sea. Palestinian’s remain an impoverished people with no homeland and little hope. The result is an extraordinary level of mistrust and mutual hatred that has contributed to more than 60 years of unrest.

However, the Hamas government in Gaza has repeatedly attacked Israel’s defenseless civilians using long range rockets supplied by foreign powers, deliberately attempting to kill or maim non-combatants. Whatever the differences between the two peoples, there is no condoning such actions and Israel is well within its right to remove a known terrorist organization from power when both its words and deeds indicate it is opposed to the continuing existence of Israel. Israel has gone to great lengths to avoid innocent Palestinian casualties, in spite of the deliberate attacks on Israeli innocents. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article which cited an example of Israel giving advance warning a known bomb manufacturing site was going to be bombed, allowing ample time for it to be cleared. Instead of evacuating, Hamas ordered women and babies inside the structure in the hopes of achieving a public relations victory. In light of this information, Israel opted not to bomb the structure. The bottom line is that Hamas has begun this conflict by attacking Israelis, and has expressed no interest in coexisting, therefore they can hardly complain when Israelis protect themselves. The use of Israel’s military is perfectly proportionate – it is not their fault that Hamas lacks helicopter gunships. It is also a proportionate response to remove a terrorist organization from power when they express no desire for peace.

The truce demanded by much of the international community is simply a means of restoring a status quo that has seen terrorists rise to power and attack Israelis, and therefore would honestly not be in the best interests of Israel. If any lasting peace accord is to be reached, it must be accompanied by a firm commitment from an international body of peacekeepers to prevent any attacks by Hamas against Israeli citizens, and it must come with a mandate to use force if necessary. Similarly, it must carry the promise of sanctions should Israel launch aggressive actions against the duly elected government of the Palestinian people. Unless Israel can be guaranteed of its safety, it retains the right, and indeed the obligation, to defend itself against all enemies – no other country would accept anything less, and neither should Israel. Until such time as a serious and credible cease fire agreement is proposed with guaranteed international backing, Israel is right to continue pursuing Hamas in Gaza by any conventional means necessary, so long as it takes reasonable precautions to mitigate damage and civilian casualties.

The Palestinian people must accept the existence of Israel if there is to be a lasting peace. In the long run, a two state solution is really the only viable alternative to the status quo and a shot at real peace in the region. There are many details to be worked out among both sides and it will require concessions by both parties, however the continuation of a senseless, decades old conflict is in neither side’s interests. The past 60 years has seen the promise of complete generations lost and squandered by senseless violence. In a day and age in which people are more interconnected than ever before, it is a real human tragedy that senseless conflict that will ultimately achieve very little should continue, and it is feasible to envision a Palestinian and Israeli state, with a neutral Jerusalem creating a viable, peaceful solution. Until such time as both sides are willing to recognize one another’s legitimacy and cease the attacks on Israeli civilians, it is right to support Israel’s proportioned response to protect itself.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Hamas and Israel have, at the time of this writing, stopped shooting at each other. This praiseworthy outcome cannot disguise Israel’s brutal, ham-fisted, and unsustainable conduct of its war in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded to pinpricks with a bulldozer when prudence dictated a calmer policy.

In the context of Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 under former prime minister Ariel Sharon – a wise decision – the recent war made no sense. Either a reoccupation of Gaza in the name of mutual safety for both Palestinians and Israelis, or limited military maneuvers intended to interdict Hamas’s crude rocketry, would have a justification in the court of humane international opinion.

Regrettably, Israel chose, out of pique, a third option – an open-ended mission to hurt the residents of the Gaza Strip and make them collectively regret choosing a Hamas government in the summer of 2007. Israel’s conduct, quite simply, is beyond the pale of civilized statecraft.

The facts speak for themselves: Israeli troops have killed in excess of 1,000 non-combatant civilians in Gaza, including 30 children in a United-Nations-run school in a refugee camp and five people dead when Israeli forces shelled Gaza City’s main fruits-and-vegetables market. Norwegian medical aid teams estimate that 40 percent of the people killed thus far are women and children. All this, for the loss of four lives from Hamas rocketry in Israeli territory and less than a dozen deaths among Israeli soldiers.

We at Marquette are part of a Jesuit community; thus, part of our obligation is upholding the longstanding Christian tradition of just war scholarship. Jus in bello, or, translated, just conduct during war, maintains that any military action must weigh the potential security gains against the harm troops will inflict on civilians. Protecting an insignificant proportion of Israeli citizens does not justify cutting off electricity, food, water, and basic sanitation in the Gaza Strip.

As The Economist editorialized on January 3, “The Palestinians it [Israel] is bombing today will be its neighbors forever.” Israel has not wiped out Hamas, whose chief leaders in Gaza are rumored to be hiding under an overstretched hospital, and it cannot hope to depopulate or deport the people of Gaza in large numbers. Its military invasion has perpetuated the sad cycle of charge, counter-charge, exaggerations, and accusations that has seized Israeli-Palestinian relations since 1948. Invading Gaza is straying far from the road to a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land.

It is easy to cheer Israel from afar and much harder to support its policies up close. We must not be deceived by the Palestinians’ corrupt and criminal leadership. Zimbabweans do not deserve to be judged for the sins of Robert Mugabe. In regions lacking our democratic heritage and traditions, it is all too common to choose slimy leaders who turn bad at the polls. Palestinians no more deserve to die at the point of Israeli bayonets than Zimbabweans deserve to die of cholera. Never mind the cause, fashionable as it may be to say Hamas started it. Responsible international relations transcend petty “he said, she said” gamesmanship.

Popularity: 9% [?]

With so many restaurants in the area, it is rare to find one that is so impressive that it immediately stands out in the crowd of options. Casablanca on Brady Street, however, has done just that.

Casablanca is a Middle Eastern restaurant. In many respects, the food is similar to Indian food. Obviously people have their own taste preferences, but if you enjoy ethnic food, Casablanca is arguably a must.

Casablanca has an extensive yet reasonable lunch buffet which is served seven days a week. This vegetarian buffet provides an authentic cultural experience with amazing food. Buffet restaurants often conjure up images of cheap, unhealthy food, but at Casablanca, the food is high quality and anything but generic. In an age where some “Chinese” buffets serve pizza and corn on the cob next to the egg rolls, this is a welcomed change of pace.

When dinnertime comes around, Casablanca becomes a more traditional restaurant. Casablanca serves a wide variety of dishes for dinner, including plates with meats such as lamb, beef or chicken. Sandwiches are also available, as are appetizers, salads and other similar options one might expect.

The “Shawarma,” or Middle Eastern gyro, is very popular as well as the “Original Shish Kebab.” In addition to the great food, Casablanca has a bar with specialty martinis, among other drinks. Some of the bar patrons’ favorite drinks include the Casablanca Martini, the Pama Martini and the Champagne Dream.

As a unique twist, Casablanca has hookahs for added enjoyment. Belly dancing can be found on every Friday night and the restaurant hosts many events, including the upcoming 2007 New Year’s Eve party.

Casablanca is a family-owned restaurant. Although once shut down, the restaurant reopened under the direction of the sons of the original owner. According to the restaurant’s Web site, they hope to someday expand the restaurant into a chain.

Although Milwaukee has a fairly large number of ethnic restaurants, Casablanca deserves a visit. The relaxed environment, fantastic food and reasonable prices make Casablanca one of Milwaukee’s best restaurants.

Casablanca is located on 728 E. Brady St, Milwaukee WI, 53202. You can find them on the Internet at www.casablancaonbrady.com.

The vegetarian lunch buffet is available every Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Sunday brunch buffet lasts between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as well. The restaurant is open until 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 12 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Popularity: 10% [?]