Israel is not yet the land of croissants, camembert, and châteauneuf du pape.  Nevertheless, the strongest, unequivocal support it has received in the current fighting with Hamas has come from French President François Hollande.  That unequivocal support may help influence and correct the many Western advocates of moral equivalence, those blaming Israel and the terrorist group Hamas equally for the outbreak and the continuing violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Even accepting the premise of legitimate differences of opinion about the conflict and responsibility for the outbreak, this does not entail a moral calculus of equivalence of blame between the contending parties.  Political commentary on the present hostilities and policy-making should be based on real events, behavior, and objectives. It is undeniable that Hamas for at least a decade has been relentless in its aggression against the State of Israel, even after total Israeli withdrawal of...(Read Full Article)