TORONTO – Whatever one might hazard to say about Israel… it would be wrong, the moment a “shot” is fired. There have been many “shots” fired in the last week. In fact, as of May 19, the overall death toll in Gaza stood at 197 people, including 58 children and 34 women, with 1,235 injured and about 70,000 displaced.

A word of caution, the foregoing numbers vary according to their source (Hamas/Palestinian or the Israeli Defense Forces), and reporting agencies like Al-Jazeera, the BBC or the Associated Press.

However, different – more “impersonal” – numbers suggest that questions about who does what and why may not produce a rational discussion regarding targeting sources of problems or indeed long-term solutions. For example, the apparent futility of Palestinian objection to “the Israeli/Jewish presence” would appear to be emphasized by the vastly disproportionate military and economic weight of the two entities.