Palestinian question at heart of tensions

Crises have a way of editing memory. They narrow the lens until only the latest missile trail is visible. What disappears is usually the cause.

This is the point China's ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, made in his speech at a UN Security Council open debate on the Middle East situation on Tuesday: no military adventure will solve the region's problems; sovereignty matters; humanitarian law matters; the Palestinian question remains central; and the two-state solution is the only workable political framework.

Israel's campaigns have not merely targeted armed groups; they have redrawn the areas of control. Gaza's misery has become ambient background noise. Washington declared it has been informed by Tehran of Iran being in a "state of collapse". Each escalation is said to be a temporary necessity. Each so-called "limited strike" enlarges the map of future conflict.