The 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza War enters its second week, with no signs of letting up any time soon.

Israeli and Palestinian power players on both sides of the border calculated that a war would increase their chances of electoral victory, scheduled for early 2009.

Israel launches a post-Christmas war against Gaza, killing over 200 Palestinians in the first day alone.  The intense aerial bombardment is the worst suffering the tiny and densely populated territory has faced in its 60-year history.  Israel’s Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, has declared an “all-out war against Hamas”.

On Friday, Hamas suspended its six-month truce with Israel, announcing that the ceasefire would not be extended.

With Israeli support, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has moved his armed loyalists into key West Bank cities in preparation of a possible conflict with his rival Hamas in January. 

Last week’s Paris Summit for the Mediterranean confirmed the likelihood of EU primacy over any future Mediterranean Union. More importantly however, the Summit was notable for the inclusion of Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, which marks a major thaw in Euro-Syrian relations.