It feels like 2009 all over again, which is the last time this kind of violence broke out in Gaza. At that time, over 1,400 Palestinians were killed, of which just 235 were combatants. The Israelis lost 13, of which 10 were combatants. At that time, I said of then-President Bush’s role in the conflict: “It’s our money and our weapons. But I think we encouraged it. Certainly, the president has said nothing to diminish it. As a matter of fact, he justifies it on moral grounds, saying, oh, they have a right to do this, without ever mentioning the tragedy of Gaza…. To me, I look at it like a concentration camp.”

The U.S. role has not changed under the Obama administration. The same mistakes continue. As journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote last week: “For years now, U.S. financial, military, and diplomatic support of Israel has been the central enabling force driving this endless conflict.