"Long live Hitler!"

Zomblog has an amazing round-up of protests against Israel that took place around the world on Jan. 10. What you'll see isn't antiwar; it's anti-Semitism, pure, simple and outrageous.

Israel's challenge in Gaza

Steven Erlanger of the New York Times weighs in with a must-read piece on the ethical and logistical challenges Israel faces in avoiding civilian casualties in Gaza.

The depth and nuance are striking, but what I like best about Erlanger's analysis is his unblinking assertion that the cause of this war is Hamas' years-long terrorist bombing strikes against Israel — something that may be obvious, but that tends to be obscured by protests against Israel's "disproportionate" response.

Watch the accompanying video, too.

The Methodists' anti-Israel campaign

Michael Paulson reports in the Globe that the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church is urging fellow Methodists to divest from companies that are supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The Methodist statement begins even-handedly enough:

Despite renewed talk of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the hard reality is that Israel's actions on the ground in the region, as well as Palestinian militant attacks on Israelis, place enormous obstacles in the way of progress toward peace.

So why does the conference propose punishing Israel alone? This is nasty business. Someone should ask Hillary Clinton, a Methodist, where she stands.