Why Obama's Hands Are Tied Over Gaza

On the day the White House said the Israeli military should do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the US confirmed it had agreed to supply the same military with more ammunition.

The Obama administration has hardened its criticism of the shelling of a UN school in Gaza calling it "indefensible" and saying there is little doubt the Israelis were responsible.

"We need our allies in Israel," said administration press secretary Josh Earnest "to live up to the high standards they have set themselves". Meanwhile those same allies were being invited to help themselves to more of the US arms stockpiles in Israel.

Duplicitous double standards or another sign of the complexity of US-Israeli relations? Depends on your point of view.

There is no doubt the Obama administration is concerned and frustrated by Israel's conduct. There is also no doubt the administration will continue to support it to the hilt for as long as required.

The US has agreed to supply Israel with more ammunition

Frustrated not least because of the trashing of the US Secretary of State John Kerry by Israeli cabinet ministers and media after his efforts to broker a ceasefire.

The Obama administration has not hidden its fury at the personal attacks on America's chief diplomat by senior members of the Netanyahu government.

The mounting civilian suffering is a concern to the US, for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons.

What's left of America's standing in the Arab world is further undermined by gruesome pictures of slaughter caused by US-supplied weaponry being fired into Gaza.  

A lot has been made of the dysfunctional relationship of the two countries' leaders. 

Mr Netanyahu's less-than-smooth relationship with Obama is well documented

Bibi and Barack have had more than their share of differences, and none of the political intimacy of George W Bush and Ariel Sharon. 

But these days Israel can take US support for granted far more than it could back then.

When Ariel Sharon wanted to send his military into Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002 he personally asked Bush to let him do so and give him enough time to finish the job.

The destruction in Jenin is nothing compared to what Israel has wrought in Gaza and it has done so without needing to ask for American permission. 

There are many reasons for US support for Israel, some historic, others more current.

Palestinians say more than 1,400 people have died in Gaza

The US-Israeli relationship is one of the fundamental constants of American foreign policy in the Middle East. With a region in ferment and in a state of flux, that is more important to Washington than ever.

The Israeli lobby is also hugely powerful in the US. 

Capitol Hill has been called Israeli-occupied territory; such is the sway the Jewish state holds over US politicians.

Multifarious pro-Israel organisations, millions given to Israel supporters at election time and masterful use of the media all mean that is unlikely to change.

Israel has the same hold on everyday Americans as it has on politicians.

US public opinion has been overwhelmingly sympathetic to Israel since the second intifada when the Palestinians began blowing up women and children on buses and since 9/11, which hardened US attitudes to violent Muslims of any description.

Fifty-six Israeli soldiers have died since the offensive began

More often than not the US media is inclined to accept the Israeli narrative. 

Coverage of tunnels out of Gaza is a case in point.

When Israeli military PR shifted the focus from rockets to tunnels, US coverage followed.

Too much talk of rockets is a threat to Israel economically now the country's main airport is within range.

Israel now claims Hamas tunnels are their main casus belli.

There has been little questioning of Israeli claims they are a terrorist threat to women and children, when thus far they have only been used by Hamas militants for military purposes to target Israeli soldiers. 

US support of Israel is mirrored by the attitude of some Arab nations in the region.

Egypt's recent ceasefire plan angered Hamas by including many of Israel's demands and few of the Palestinians'.

The Saudis and Jordanians are also quietly cheering the Jewish state from the sidelines. 

Since the last major Israeli operation in Gaza the faultlines have shifted in the Middle East because of the deepening chasm among Muslims, between Sunnis and Shia. 

On one side, Iran and its allies, the Assad regime in Damascus, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

On the other Tehran's enemies in the Gulf and Egypt who are in no mood to help out Iran's Sunni allies, Hamas in Gaza. 

While much of the Middle East remains silent as the carnage continues in Gaza, Israel will assume it is carrying out the wishes of at least some of its neighbours.

Washington will continue dishing out carefully worded criticism if Israel keeps facing claims it has shelled children sleeping in UN buildings.

But it is not going to be reducing its support for its closest ally in an increasingly troubled region.

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Israeli Tanks 'Breach' 72-Hour Gaza Ceasefire

Why Obama's Hands Are Tied Over Gaza

Updated: 4:38am UK, Friday 01 August 2014

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

On the day the White House said the Israeli military should do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the US confirmed it had agreed to supply the same military with more ammunition.

The Obama administration has hardened its criticism of the shelling of a UN school in Gaza calling it "indefensible" and saying there is little doubt the Israelis were responsible.

"We need our allies in Israel," said administration press secretary Josh Earnest "to live up to the high standards they have set themselves". Meanwhile those same allies were being invited to help themselves to more of the US arms stockpiles in Israel.

Duplicitous double standards or another sign of the complexity of US-Israeli relations? Depends on your point of view.

There is no doubt the Obama administration is concerned and frustrated by Israel's conduct. There is also no doubt the administration will continue to support it to the hilt for as long as required.

Frustrated not least because of the trashing of the US Secretary of State John Kerry by Israeli cabinet ministers and media after his efforts to broker a ceasefire.

The Obama administration has not hidden its fury at the personal attacks on America's chief diplomat by senior members of the Netanyahu government.

The mounting civilian suffering is a concern to the US, for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons.

What's left of America's standing in the Arab world is further undermined by gruesome pictures of slaughter caused by US-supplied weaponry being fired into Gaza.  

A lot has been made of the dysfunctional relationship of the two countries' leaders. 

Bibi and Barack have had more than their share of differences, and none of the political intimacy of George W Bush and Ariel Sharon. 

But these days Israel can take US support for granted far more than it could back then.

When Ariel Sharon wanted to send his military into Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002 he personally asked Bush to let him do so and give him enough time to finish the job.

The destruction in Jenin is nothing compared to what Israel has wrought in Gaza and it has done so without needing to ask for American permission. 

There are many reasons for US support for Israel, some historic, others more current.

The US-Israeli relationship is one of the fundamental constants of American foreign policy in the Middle East. With a region in ferment and in a state of flux, that is more important to Washington than ever.

The Israeli lobby is also hugely powerful in the US. 

Capitol Hill has been called Israeli-occupied territory; such is the sway the Jewish state holds over US politicians.

Multifarious pro-Israel organisations, millions given to Israel supporters at election time and masterful use of the media all mean that is unlikely to change.

Israel has the same hold on everyday Americans as it has on politicians.

US public opinion has been overwhelmingly sympathetic to Israel since the second intifada when the Palestinians began blowing up women and children on buses and since 9/11, which hardened US attitudes to violent Muslims of any description.

More often than not the US media is inclined to accept the Israeli narrative. 

Coverage of tunnels out of Gaza is a case in point.

When Israeli military PR shifted the focus from rockets to tunnels, US coverage followed.

Too much talk of rockets is a threat to Israel economically now the country's main airport is within range.

Israel now claims Hamas tunnels are their main casus belli.

There has been little questioning of Israeli claims they are a terrorist threat to women and children, when thus far they have only been used by Hamas militants for military purposes to target Israeli soldiers. 

US support of Israel is mirrored by the attitude of some Arab nations in the region.

Egypt's recent ceasefire plan angered Hamas by including many of Israel's demands and few of the Palestinians'.

The Saudis and Jordanians are also quietly cheering the Jewish state from the sidelines. 

Since the last major Israeli operation in Gaza the faultlines have shifted in the Middle East because of the deepening chasm among Muslims, between Sunnis and Shia. 

On one side, Iran and its allies, the Assad regime in Damascus, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

On the other Tehran's enemies in the Gulf and Egypt who are in no mood to help out Iran's Sunni allies, Hamas in Gaza. 

While much of the Middle East remains silent as the carnage continues in Gaza, Israel will assume it is carrying out the wishes of at least some of its neighbours.

Washington will continue dishing out carefully worded criticism if Israel keeps facing claims it has shelled children sleeping in UN buildings.

But it is not going to be reducing its support for its closest ally in an increasingly troubled region.

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NHS Hospital Paid £1,800 A Day For Nurse

By Thomas Moore, Science and Health Correspondent

NHS hospitals are so short staffed on public holidays they are paying almost £150 an hour for nurses to work, a Sky News investigation has found.

On May Day Bank Holiday this year a locum agency was paid more than £1,800 to supply a nurse for a 12-hour shift, new figures show.

And one hospital paid £2,500 for a doctor to work that day.

The statistics - obtained through a Freedom of Information request - lay bare how much the NHS is relying on private locum staff on public holidays.

In one hospital, half of the doctors who worked on May 5 were locum medics.

And at another, almost one third of the nursing staff was supplied by a private agency.

Experts say that using locum staff unfamiliar with the hospitals they are working in can put patient care at risk.

With the NHS under increasing financial pressure, a nursing body wants the amount hospitals pay agencies to be reviewed.

One trust paid nearly £1,800 for a mental health nurse shift. Pic: File

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "These figures are truly shocking.

"Many (of the nurses) will never have been to that ward before and will probably never be there again.

"It says nothing about continuity of care. Even finding your way round the ward, the geography, it makes life really difficult.

"Agency nurses do not provide good value for money … and the employers who use these extraordinary levels should be held to account for it.

"This is public money that is not being well spent. This is something that should be looked at with the utmost urgency."

Eighty of the 150 NHS trusts in England replied to a Sky News request asking how many locum staff they employed and at what rates on May 5 this year.

At the Heart of England NHS Trust in the West Midlands, half the doctors working that day were temporary locum medics, the figures show.

Experts say a large percentage of locum staff can put patient care at risk

More than three in ten nurses at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust and at Southend NHS Trust were from agencies.

Meanwhile, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (NHS Foundation Trust) paid an agency £2,500 for a locum doctor to work a single shift.

University Hospitals Bristol (NHS Foundation Trust) paid £1,800 for a nurse on a shift of just over 12 hours - equivalent to almost £150 an hour.

Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust paid almost as much (£1,798) for a middle grade nurse specialising in mental health - almost a month's pay for the average nurse.

Separate figures published in April suggested that the NHS has spent £2bn on agency staff since 2010/11.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We now have 6,700 more doctors and 6,200 more nurses directly employed by NHS organisations than in 2010.

"The figures … are not a full picture of staffing in the NHS, but we encourage all trusts to maintain a tight grip on their staff costs and we will hold poor performers to account."

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Israeli Army Mobilises 16,000 Extra Troops

Large explosions lit up the sky above Gaza City overnight, as Israel mobilised 16,000 more reservists to the conflict.

The sound of explosions and planes flying overhead were heard across the city, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The continued bombardment came as Israel said it was mobilising thousands more troops and the US revealed it was granting access to an ammunition stockpile it has in the country.

"The army has issued 16,000 additional mobilisation orders to allow troops on the ground to rest, which takes the total number of reservists to 86,000," said an Israeli army spokeswoman.

Israel says it is close to destroying all Hamas cross-border attack tunnels

Israel said it was days away from achieving its core goal of destroying all Islamist guerrilla cross-border attack tunnels.

It has ordered its ground forces to focus on locating and destroying a warren of tunnels with which Hamas has menaced its southern towns and army bases.

Major-General Sami Turgeman, chief of Israeli forces in Gaza, said they were "but a few days away from destroying all the attack tunnels".

The army said 32 of the secret passages had been found so far and half of them blown up.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed on Wednesday by a booby trap detonated as they uncovered a tunnel shaft, the army said.

The school where Palestine officials say at least 17 died in shelling

The Israeli military said it would also continue to target Hamas command centres, rocket launchers and weapons arsenals.

Meanwhile Hamas' military leader Mohammed Deif has said the militants would not cease fire until their demands are met.

Hamas has demanded that Israel and Egypt lift a border blockade they imposed on Gaza after Hamas seized the territory in 2007.

Nearly 1,300 Palestinians have died in three weeks of fighting, according to the UN's office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA). Gaza officials put the figure at more than 1,360.

Civilians make up two-thirds of the dead and most of the wounded.

The locations of refugee camps in the Gaza Strip

International condemnation also continues over Wednesday's shelling of a UN-run school housing more than 3,000 refugees in the Jebalya area of Gaza, in a day where 116 Palestinians were killed.

The United Nations' 80 camps are meant to be safe zones for the estimated 245,000 people who have fled their homes.

Furious UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the school shelling "outrageous" and "unjustifiable".

"Nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children," said the UN chief.

A carefully-worded White House statement said it "condemned the shelling" - which killed at least 16 - but did not mention Israel explicitly.

The Pentagon later also confirmed it had agreed to a an "emergency" Israeli request to stock up on grenades and mortar rounds from a store it has in the country.

The strike on the Shejaiza market is said to have killed at least 17 people

Israel has said it is investigating the school incident and repeated it does not have a policy of targeting civilians.

Foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor described the incident as "tragic" but blamed Hamas' "criminal entrenchment within civilian populations".

The UN has reported instances of militants stashing weapons in some of the schools.

At least 17 Palestinians also died on Wednesday, and 200 were wounded, in an attack on a market in the Shejaiza neighbourhood between Gaza City and the Israeli border.

Fifty-six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have died in total on the Israeli side since the latest violence began at the start of July.

The country's military said 81 rockets fell in Israel on Wednesday, with nine shot down by its missile defence system.

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Strikes Kill 43 In Gaza As UN School Hit

Gaza Conflict 'Like A Never-Ending Horror Film'

Updated: 2:53pm UK, Tuesday 29 July 2014

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Gaza City

"Stay safe," people keep telling us.

"Where?" I always reply.

One of the harsh realities of this war is that there seem to be no red lines or boundaries.

People here are locked inside a tiny, cramped territory while the Israeli army bombs their homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.

Some 23,160 buildings have been damaged in the past three weeks, including 560 houses that were specifically targeted, according to the Health Ministry.

Most of the time there is no electricity, so at night you can only listen to what's happening around you in the dark.

Parents watch as their children die, children watch as their parents die - it's like a horror film.

The hardest part is how to convey the emotion and explain the events you are witnessing to people who live thousands of miles away and have likely never been to Gaza.

How do you do the story justice, remaining calm and fair?

Journalists are obsessed with the idea of balance, but what throws us off is that this is not an equal battle.

Israel says it is defending its civilians from rockets indiscriminately fired at them and underground tunnels used to infiltrate and kill soldiers.

Hamas says it is defending their civilians from an Israeli imposed siege that has strangled Gaza and affects every part of daily life.

The sad reality is that this war will likely end with Israel keeping Gaza under a blockade, which means Hamas will continue to resist - if not with rockets then tunnels, if not with tunnels then something else.

And if it's not Hamas it will be another group. The violence will continue as long as there is a cause.

Covering this war has been just as devastating as in 2008/9, the last time Israel launched a ground assault and I was inside Gaza.

Back then, people felt they were paying the price for a battle between Hamas and Israel.

This time, after seven years of living under siege, many sound hopeless and support Hamas (they call it "the resistance") because they feel there is no other way to end the misery they are living in.

My parents tell me stories of going on holiday to Gaza when they were young.

It has a beautiful coastline and when the drones and jets are quiet you can hear the waves crashing on the beach.

But the last few years of the blockade have been especially tough and Gaza is now a ghetto of 1.8 million people with many living in refugee camps surrounded by bombed out buildings.

Yesterday, at a UN school turned shelter, a woman asked me where I was from.

"Egypt," I replied, expecting her to lecture me about the country's complicity in the siege and how much she hates Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

But instead she said in a strong, sad voice: "Take me back with you."

It's simple really: people in Gaza, like elsewhere in the world, just want a chance to live with dignity.

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Cobra Meeting As UK Doctors Warned Over Ebola

The Government's emergency committee is to discuss how to tackle the "new and emerging" threat of ebola, as doctors in Britain were put on alert to spot symptoms of the deadly disease.

The outbreak is the largest in history, with the virus killing more than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria since February.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told Sky News no British nationals have been affected by the outbreak so far, and there are no cases in the UK.

He said: "However the Prime Minister does regard it as a very serious threat and I will be chairing a Cobra meeting later today to assess the situation and look at any measures that we need to take either in the UK, or in our diplomatic posts abroad in order to manage the threat.

"We are very much focused on it as a new and emerging threat which we need to deal with."

Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England (PHE), said the risk to British travellers and workers was low, but doctors needed to be vigilant.

Medical staff prepare to bring food to patients in an isolation area

Dr McCloskey said: "The continuing increase in cases, especially in Sierra Leone, and the importation of a single case from Liberia to Nigeria is a cause for concern as it indicates the outbreak is not yet under control.

"We have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in those who have visited the affected area."

"People who have returned from affected areas who have a sudden onset of symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat and general malaise within three weeks of their return should immediately seek medical assistance."

The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Mark Walport, has told the Daily Telegraph that ebola was "potentially a major threat" to Britain due to the increasingly "interconnected" nature of the world.

British Airways, which flies to Sierra Leone and Nigeria, said in a statement it complies with guidance from local health authorities and will "continue to monitor the situation closely".

A person from Birmingham was tested for ebola after returning from Africa, but the tests came back negative.

Countries affected by the ebola outbreak

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Protecting the public from infectious diseases is a priority and we lead the world in this field. We are well-prepared to identify and deal with any potential cases of Ebola, though there has never been a case in this country.

"Any patients with suspected symptoms can be diagnosed within 24 hours and they would also be isolated at a dedicated unit to keep the public safe."

Health workers tackling the outbreak in west Africa have been particularly vulnerable to ebola, which can have a fatality rate of up to 90%.

Infection results from direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids and tissues of infected animals or people.

Family members and others in close contact with sick and dead patients are also most at risk.

The initial symptoms are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some instances, both internal and external bleeding.

Symptoms can take up to 21 days to show, and there is no treatment or vaccine.

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Immigrant Benefits To Be Cut To Three Months

EU migrants will be able to claim benefits for only three months unless they have serious job prospects, under plans announced by David Cameron.

The Prime Minister insisted the change would make it clear to migrants that they cannot get "something for nothing" and that Britain was "not a soft touch".

The plans will build on changes laid out in January that mean migrants must wait three months after arriving in Britain before claiming out-of-work benefits.

After that three months, migrants will now be able to claim benefits for only three months instead of six, unless they have "very clear job prospects".

David Cameron says Britain is 'not a soft touch' for EU migrants

Mr Cameron will also highlight changes already brought in by the Government, including new powers to revoke the driving licences of illegal immigrants.

A total of 2,200 have been revoked since the power's introduction earlier this month.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Cameron said: "We changed the rules so that no-one can come to this country and expect to get out-of-work benefits immediately; they must wait at least three months.

"And we are announcing today that we are cutting the time people can claim these benefits for."

Yvette Cooper says the Government has 'failed' on immigration

He continued: "It used to be that European jobseekers could claim JSA (jobseeker's allowance) or child benefit for a maximum of six months before their benefits would be cut off, unless they had very clear job prospects... we will be reducing that cut-off point to three months, saying very clearly: you cannot expect to come to Britain and get something for nothing...

"Taken together, this is about building a different kind of Britain - a country that is not a soft touch, but a place to play your part; a nation where those who work hard can get on."

He added: "Carefully and painstakingly we are building an economy that has real opportunities for our young people; an education system that encourages them to do their best; a welfare system that encourages work; and an immigration system that puts Britain first."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the Coalition was failing on immigration despite Mr Cameron's promise to get it down to the tens of thousands.

Ms Cooper said Labour called for tougher benefit restrictions nearly 18 months ago.

"We need less talk from the Prime Minister on immigration and more action," she said.

"It's almost a year-and-a-half since Labour called for benefit restrictions on new migrants. In that time we've had reannouncement after reannouncement from the Tories but little in the way of firm action.

"Behind the rhetoric the true picture of this Government on immigration is one of failure, with net migration going up, despite David Cameron's promise to get it down to the tens of thousands.

"The Government should get a grip and finally implement Labour's proposals to stop the undercutting of wages and jobs for local workers by the exploitation of low-skilled migrant labour, including banning recruitment agencies that only hire foreign workers and pressing for stronger controls in Europe."

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