UNLAWFUL TO DROP BOMBS IN CIVILIAN AREAS

I join Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations and other world leaders (save the U.S. government under Bush and Cheney) in calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Hamas should control those Palestinians who in a paroxysm of revenge and hate fire missiles and rockets into Israel, threatening innocent women, children and civilians.

Israel should also immediately stop bombing Gazan homes, schools and the ordinary people who live and exist there.

To shoot artillery into densely populated areas like Gaza and to drop highly explosive bombs there is to commit horrible war crimes because the likely victims will be children, since children compose almost 50% of the population. Furthermore, even if a child is not killed or maimed by these Israeli attacks, his/her psyche will be forever scarred and traumatized.

But this seems to be the objective of the Israelis. Just like in the war in Lebanon several years ago, the leaders of Israel chose to inflict harsh suffering on civilians out of some misguided strategy that Israel needed to teach them a "lesson." Once again in Gaza, we see this foolish and criminal objective, showing utter disregard for protecting civilians.

The world must insist that Israel stop this insanity now.