Breaking News: Israel Bombs UN School, Kills Dozens

This was inevitable. This, or something like it.

Follow the New York Times story, or al-Jazeera. Israel is saying that Hamas is responsible, because they used the school compound to launch morter fire on Israeli troops.

With another day of gory news reports inflaming the Arab world, Israel contended that the deaths at te school demonstrated Hamas’s callousness to the lives of Palestinian own civilians: The Israeli Defense Force said it was responding to mortar shells from the school compound, in the packed and militant Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, and fired several mortar rounds near the school.

“They shot back to save their own lives,” said Ilan Tal, an Israeli military spokesman and a brigadier general in the reserves. Among the dead, the military said in a statement, were “Hamas terrorist operatives and a mortar battery cell.” The military identified two Hamas operatives, Imad Abu Asker and Hassan Abu Asker, as having been killed.

That's probably accurate. So if Israeli troops had not been invading Gaza, the school wouldn't be used for mortar fire, right? The one ray of hope is that Israel will realize how much rage they are causing throughout the world and take steps to end it's invasion.

International efforts to halt the violence appeared to be moving into higher gear.

At the United Nations, the Security Council held a high-level meeting attended by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and many foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Gaza. Mr. Abbas and other senior Arab officials called for an immediate cease-fire resolution. But some members of the Security Council, including the United States, withheld support for any resolution because of efforts in the Mideast to achieve a cease-fire.

Oh wait, with the U.S. supporting Israel, this isn't actually a sure bet. Israel: Can we continue killing in Gaza for a few more days? We'd like to &?$% a few more Hamasniks. The United States: Why sure, but try not to hit any more schools, okay?

Count on more disgust fire-hosed at Israel from around the world. Including from America, including from within the Jewish community. But maybe NOT including Democratic Congressional leaders like Steny Hoyer:

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Top Democrats are planning to introduce a non-binding congressional resolution supporting Israel's goal in its Gaza Strip operation.

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the U.S. House of Representatives majority leader, told JTA he was looking at such a resolution, which is being drafted in the office of Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"Certainly it would not demand a cease-fire," Hoyer said. "It would speak to the conditions that would justify a cease-fire. A cease-fire is not a just cease-fire when it's just Israel" holding fire.

Israel launched its major operation Dec. 27 in a bid to end rocket attacks on its South. Such attacks, carried out by militants allied with Gaza's Hamas rulers, drastically intensified last month following the end of a six-month cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, also may join the resolution. [via Jewish Telegraphic Agency.]

I'm looking forward to the non-lethal part of Israel's election campaigning.