"These days, even a school — clearly identified as a shelter run by the United Nations — cannot protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza from deadly attacks."
Although the Times goes on to acknowledge, "There are competing charges over who carried out the attack" on the school in Beit Hanoun, the Times goes on to ask if Israel is "doing enough" to avoid damage to UN facilities:
"According to a United Nations official in New York, at least 72 United Nations schools, hospitals and offices have been damaged in the fighting, even though they are clearly marked. At the same time, the United Nations did not enhance its own credibility and influence when its Human Rights Council focused entirely on Israel in a resolution on Wednesday, opening an inquiry into possible Gaza-related human rights violations."
Needless to say, no mention by the Times that in recent days rockets have twice been discovered in UNRWA schools in Gaza (see: http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-condemns-placement-rockets-second-time-one-its-schools) and that these rockets have been turned over by the UNRWA to Hamas. Why does this information go missing from the Times editorial?
The Times concludes its editorial by observing:
"Secretary of State John Kerry has been working feverishly to get a cease-fire, but his mission is hugely complicated. Meanwhile, the killing goes on."
No mention by the Times that Hamas, not Israel, has been refusing efforts to achieve a cease-fire. As reported by Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/hamas-stubbornly-refusing-ceasefire-bid-kerry-150758663.html):
"US Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday blamed Hamas for the continuation of the conflict in Gaza, saying the Islamic militants were refusing all ceasefire efforts.
'They've been offered a ceasefire and they've refused to take the ceasefire,' Kerry told ABC television, adding Hamas has 'stubbornly' refused efforts to defuse the conflict 'even though Egypt and others have called for that ceasefire.'
By its behavior, Hamas had 'invited further actions' by the Israelis to stop the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, Kerry said.
'It's ugly, obviously. War is ugly, and bad things are going to happen. But they need to recognize their own responsibility,' he added, referring to Hamas."
But why should The New York Times acknowledge that Hamas is responsible for the continuation of the fighting? After all, this would not be in keeping with ongoing efforts being made by Andrew Rosenthal's op-ed page to vilify Israel (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/mohammed-omer-darkness-falls-on-gaza.html).
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