The United Nations passes resolutions, South Africa files lawsuits in the International Court of Justice, Hezbollah and the Houthis make threats yet Israel keeps bombing the hell out of Gaza. Clearly Israel is learning that talk is cheap. The United Nations is the only international organization that can fix the problem, yet it doesn't (or it can't). Why is that?

IMHO - this is a fact of life regarding international relations and the Middle East: Israel will continue to bomb Gaza and kill civilians as long as Israel perceives that Hamas is an existential threat to its existence.

A second fact of life is that the United States is committed to help Israel maintain its existence. This is the same moral committment that we quietly pledge to the United Kingdom commonwealth, Germany and Japan.

Israel will not give a rat's ass about the lives and welfare of people (men, women and cildren) who live in Gaza as long as Hamas remains as a political and military force. Israel will continue to kill civilians and destroy civilian property in Gaza until either Hamas stands down and retracts its call to destroy Israel, another nation steps in to destroy Israel, or the population of Gaza is reduced to zero.

If the United Nations truly wants to end the killing of Palestinians in Gaza it has to help Israel reach it's goals or it has to destroy Israel. It can't be taken seriously unless it does one or the other.

The UN cannot destroy Israel... an effort toward this would create World War III. Israel is too powerful militarily (as it has shown time and time again) to be destroyed by neighboring nations. It will take multiple powerful militaries facing multiple powerful militaries to accomplish this.... almost by definition World War III.

So, dammit, I call to the United Nations to bite the bullet and help Israel achieve its goals and the general goals (I believe) of most Palestinians. Israel must be allowed to continue to exist within in some defined and agreed upon borders and an internationally recognized State of Palestine must be established; one which will accept Israel's existence and the common borders.

This will be the only way that peace in the region can be achieved. If the United Nations does not truly work toward peace (long-lasting peace) in the Middle East, then like Queen said of war... what is it good for?. We are currently learning what war is used for. If don't accept that used for and good for are the same, then how about giving peace, true lasting peace (not merely ceasefires) a chance. And to quote another Beatle...It won't come easy.