One might be forgiven for feeling a strong sense of deja vu as, once again, we are forced to question the rationale for the latest round of hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza, with Islamic Jihad this time Israel’s specific opponent.

Three-quarters of a century has passed since the war of 1948 and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is as far as ever from a resolution. All it does is provide common reminders that, without a peaceful settlement of the longest conflict in modern history, it will continue to rage.

There is nothing about the current Israeli government to instill confidence that it has any intention of upholding the liberal-democratic system, or that it has any idea of where it is leading the country.