>> Violence broke out over the weekend between the Israelis and the Palestinians specifically
in the Gaza Strip.
Now according to reports at least 22 Palestinians including militants and children were killed
in Gaza over the weekend, and four Israeli civilians died in the fighting.
CBS News has more details on the story.
Let's take a look.
>> Israel's military struck back.
Hitting about 350 targets in the Gaza Strip.
One of those Palestinian targets had been riding in this car.
Israel's military says it was a senior Hamas figure.
It was the first targeted assassination by Israel since 2014.
Palestinians say an infant was also killed in one of the air strikes.
Her body was carried in a funeral procession.
Her father said the children were playing and were struck by a missile shot from a drone.
>> So Israel is claiming that their actions were their retaliation against Hamas that
Hamas had initially launched airstrikes against the Israelis and they were essentially reacting
to that.
And of course as we've seen in previous cases, their reaction is usually pretty disproportionate.
They have more in terms of military capability, and they have more in terms of defense capability.
But nonetheless, lives have been lost, and they have reached a ceasefire but the ceasefire
is I think vulnerable.
I think any little provocation on either side will lead to more violence.
But I'll give you more details on that in just a minute.
Maytha, jump in, give me some details on all this.
>> Well, I think people have to remember because there's always this obsession about who started
what at what point, did Hamas launch rockets, did Israelis?
There was always a Hamas provocation.
People have to remember that the blockade started 2007 and what the blockade is.
The blockade is blocking out people in an open air prison where they can't come in and
out even their water sources where they go fish for their food.
There's a certain distance they can go and then they'll be shoot by the Israeli military.
So, they are in an incredibly dehumanizing, vulnerable situation where their food rations
are also determined in terms of what comes in and out.
There's massive unemployment.
So they have very little recourse to shift and change what's going on in their lives
and I guess at certain points there are rockets launches.
But there's like you said Anna, a history of disproportionate violent because you are
talking about a nation states military versus, A violent organization within Gaza.
I mean, I'll just want to give you some updates.
You were talking about 20, 24 people were killed on the Palestinian side, for Israelis,
and that includes two pregnant Palestinian women and the 15-month old that you saw.
But also, if we go back, the report mentioned 2014, there were 2,104 Palestinians that were
killed, 495 children 72 Israelis and you keep on going back 2012, 2009 and you see that
same kind of disparity in terms of live loss.
So you have to ask yourself, what is different between the 2 sides and how can I help us
move forward on a path towards peace?
And usually it's not bad though side that has the least amount of military grade equipments
has the burden of doing the most restraints.
It's usually the one that is caying- >> Right and and also I think that it's important
to put yourself in the shoes of people living in the Gaza Strip who are dealing with the
ramifications about blockade.
So it's easy to say, well, Harmas struk first and they get what they deserve, which and
I am not trying to say this to excuse what Harmas did.
But you have to understand the motivations behind what they did.
Because if you create a situation in which a group of people are desperate-
>> Yeah.
>> And they feel like they have no other choice, well, of course, they're going to act out
in in the ways that we've seen.
And instead of thinking about, hey, this is a symptom of an issue that we need to find
a solution for, Benjamin Netanyahu's reaction has been to be even more brutal and more cruel
toward the Palestinians in the west bank and Gaza.
>> And I think the other thing that you have to realize is they're in a blockade and people
assume that people are in a territory that they are from.
70% of the people in Gaza are refugees from other parts of what is quote unquote Israel,
right?
And so they are being cut off from their family members.
They're cut off from where they are from and like you were saying, cut off from the world
including food sources.
So you have to imagine this is like a prison uprising, right?
Prison uprisings can be violent but they come from somewhere.
They come from certain kinds of conditions that people are living through.
>> Yeah, the whole situation is unbelievably depressing.
There was just the elections in Israel very recently and it was.
Then Yahoo won again, but the election choice was basically between the extreme right wing
and then Yahoo, and Benny Gantz who also supported the occupation, is not really calling for
a Tuesday solution or anything like that.
Which was the sort of mainstream position throughout my whole life.
>> Right.
>> And now now the de facto conditions on the ground make it seem like the 2 state solution
is a pipe dream.
They've created the conditions where that just can't happen at this point.
>> Exactly, and that cycle of violence will only continue unless there is at least a consideration
to change course by the Israeli government.
And what his government is really doing right now is putting the lives of Israeli citizens
in danger.
Understand that, he is doing that.
If he genuinely cares about lives of Israelis, he would first of all at least consider changing
course and consider how his actions or leading to these uprisings that were seen by Palestinians.
But, of course, he's not interested in doing any of that.
Let me just quickly talk about the cease-fire.
According to Arab new reports, a new cease-fire was brokered by Egypt and the United Nations.
This is being reported by the New York Times, and it includes measures to ease the acute
economic crisis in the impoverished Gaza Strip.
And I want to give the New York Times a little bit of credit because they are finally at
least mentioning the fact that there are serious economic issues that the Palestinians are
facing.
Also, one other note that I wanted to mention was that there's concern that Benjamin Netanyahu
is not really taking ceasefire seriously.
So first, Hamas said they agree to the ceasefire.
Arab news reports included news that there was an agreement about the ceasefire, but
there was no statement from the Israeli government for a while.
And finally when Netanyahu did release the statement, it appeared that he was, let me
give you the exact wording.
He said, the campaign is not over.
Meaning, the campaign to retaliate against the Palestinians in Gaza, and it demands patience
and sagacity.
We are prepared to continue.
The goal has been and remains ensuring quiet and security for the residents of the South,
meaning Israel.
I send condolences to the family, and best wishes for recovery to the wounded.
So, even in that statement, he is threatening more acts of violence against Palestinians,
and this again, after the ceasefire had been- >> He's campaigned of annexing the West Bank.
So, I mean, you could say that he was going extreme right to capture a certain voting
block, but he did tell us his intention in annexing an area that Palestinians are living
on, means that he is down for more violence.
So it's clear that peace is not what he is concerned with, and I think also a lot of
especially American Jews were prove aggressive, know that and have been starting to seriously
question the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump and their own.
The way that they look at Israel, and what Israel has been doing to Palestinians because
of that tight knit relationship.
And Trump responded very quickly, stating his support for Netanyahu
>> Of course.
>> I don't know if we have the quote but it's pretty obvious.
>> But I think that's an important factor because, something you mentioned, maybe the
Israeli government needs to change tack or whatever.
They simply won't, unless there is pressure from the American government.
>> And there never will be pressure from the American government.
>> From this current regime at least.
>> I mean look unless.
>> Maybe future president Bernie Sanders might do something but.
>> Right, but let me just be clear about one thing.
Unless we get money out of politics, nothing will ever change in terms of the US response
to the Israeli government.
If we have a right wing Israeli government as is the case right now and the reason why
I say that is because look at Obama.
Even Obama during his administration.
Try to criticize the settlements that were being built in the West Bank.
>> And John Carey.
>> And John Carey, and think about-
>> From their own party in the Congress.
>> Thank you, so they did not get the support from their own party.
And you have to look at what the influences are behind the scenes and it's important to
bring that up.
It impacts every single foreign policy issue that our government is involved in and Israel
is no different from that.