Do you think Israel's actions in current Middle East conflict are justified?

War is a bi_ch. There seldom is any way to pretty it up for the nightly news, especially if the media has an agenda to adhere to. Israel has every right to defend its citizens and territory. I'd like to ask the folks that are supporting the Hamas what they would do if their next door neighbor decided that their goal was to destroy you and started pitching a few sticks of dynamite over your fence on a random basis? Would you consider defending yourself and your family? Especially if the police (U.N.) have known about this problem for some time and has done nothing. The people of Gaza knowingly elected Hamas overwhelmingly as part of their government. That alone should prepare them for the retaliation that was bound to occur, and I have little sympathy for them at this point. Hide and use your weapons amongst the civilian population and what do you expect to happen? Israel has shown remarkable restraint and seems to be doing it's best to avoid collateral damage, but the PR department of Hamas is evidently working overtime to persuade the easily fooled otherwise.