Is it just me, or is there a special sort of ugliness in this conflict?

My father was raised for seven years on the support and security offered by UNRWA. Shouldn't peace-keeping operations like that be exempt from the conflict? And what about schools, and children? Aren't they sort of, well, off-limits? Sacred? Well, two UNRWA schools were just hit by Israeli fire, killing at least five young Palestinians.

The death toll has reached 580 and is rising, and the United Nations, the E.U., the Red Cross, and countless leaders around the world have decried the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This is unsustainable!

I am NOT a Hamas supporter. I can acknowledge Israel's desire to eradicate these extremists, who responded to the UNRWA casualties by vowing to "kill Jewish children around the world." No, I don't like the sound of that. But this is getting out of control. There has to be a better way to do this, and yet,

'Israel worked yesterday to prevent a meeting of the UN Security Council, concerned it might force a premature ceasefire...Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, hinted that the Government would consider not complying with UN directives if it ordered an end to military activity. "We are relying on our friends the US and others so that we do not reach the point of a resolution that we will have to reject."'

Meanwhile, George W. Bush has simply 'emphasized "Israel's right to defend itself."

Oh, this is ugly. I don't have the answers, and I won't pretend I do. I may be the daughter of a Gazan, but I can see both sides, at least, partially. Israel does have the right to defend itself. But there needs to be an adjustment, there needs to be safeguards, there needs to be a way to keep this from getting to the point where United Nations' schools are not becoming targets. These helpless people have been hijacked or duped by Hamas, and there has to be away to punish Hamas without punishing the entiere population of Gaza.

I wish...I wish...Well, never mind. Maybe when Obama takes office...