It's been exactly a year since Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense, an eight-day counteroffensive to halt incessant rocket fire from Gaza against civilian targets in southern Israel. By and large, the operation had its desired effect. Rocket fire by Hamas and other terrorist groups has become an occasional rarity. The Israeli Defense Forces also proved their mettle by going the extra mile to minimize civilian collateral damage -- a huge feat when one considers that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups place rocket launchers in heavily populated Gaza areas. Consequently, the operation ended with a high proportion of combatant terrorist fatalities on the Palestinian side. Since Pillar of Defense began on Nov. 14 last year, the Washington Post decided to mark its first anniversary with a front-page article by its Jerusalem bureau chief, William Booth ("A year after war, all quiet on Israel-Gaza front -- mostly.") Booth acknowledges that Pillar of Defense went a long...(Read Full Post)