A New Boiling Point in the Mideast

Tensions reached a new high today in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel is mobilizing troops on the border of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile Hamas has been firing rockets into southern Israel. Earlier this week, Israel raided Palestinian territory and dropped bombs on Gaza. This military confrontation comes in the wake of 4 lurid deaths of teenagers, children really, 3 on the Israeli side, 1 on the Palestinian side, all caught in a spiral of recriminations and political maneuvering which have sparked the worst violence in Jerusalem in years. Does the abandonment of a peace process mean more violence ahead? Can the US do anything to relieve the tensions?

Also, the US unemployment rate drops, and scientists say that your face reveals not just how hard you’ve lived, but also how long you’ll live in the future.

Banner Image: Palestinians hurl stones during clashes with Israeli police in Shuafat, an Arab suburb of Jerusalem July 2, 2014. The discovery of a body in a Jerusalem forest on Wednesday raised suspicions that a missing Palestinian youth had been killed by Israelis avenging the deaths of three abducted Jewish teens. Rock-throwing Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in Jerusalem after the news, but no serious injuries were reported. REUTERS/Ammar Awad