Israel is about to launch Phase III of Operation Cast Lead – the capture of Gaza City.  Electoral considerations almost certainly predict that Israel will attempt to topple Hamas and re-occupy Gaza, until Hamas’ rival Fatah can re-establish control on the ground.  The Third Palestinian Intifada may be in the offing.

As allegations of war crimes mount and anti-Israeli protests sweep across the globe, Israel appears to be losing its PR offensive against Hamas.  Meanwhile, a new generation of Palestinians scarred by the war will increasingly turn to militancy, resulting in perpetual conflict in the region.

Israel has launched a ground invasion of Gaza, re-entering the tiny territory after three years.  Almost 600 Palestinians have died and over 2700 have been injured, while a reported 10 Israelis have died, including 1 soldier, and a few dozen have been injured in the 11-day war.  The United States has blocked a ceasefire attempt at the UN.

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, Pakistan redeployed thousands of troops to its border with India, making war imminent between the nuclear-armed rivals following last month’s terrorist attacks on Mumbai, India’s cultural and financial capital.

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

American foreign policy vis-à-vis the Middle East under President-Elect Barack Obama is not likely to differ from his predecessor, the universally reviled George W. Bush.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a visit to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, providing support to the latter in his ongoing confrontation with rival Hamas, while also acknowledging the end of the Bush administration’s peace initiative.