In the latest developments in the latest Mideast conflict, Israel rejected the U.N. cease-fire proposal as unworkable as more Palestinian missiles continued to fall on Israel. The U.S. has adopted its traditional role of supporting close ally Israel, laid the blame for the conflict squarely on Hamas, and worked for an equitable ceasefire that would mean a true ceasefire from both sides and not a return to the status-quo-ante (which saw numerous missile attacks from the Palestinians in Gaza). For some background on the dynamics playing out in the region I recommend this event transcript from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which brought together experts in the Middle East and DC, “to explain the various regional perspectives on the conflict, its current impact on neighboring nations, and its possible outcome.”