As the world reads with horror the Israel-Gaza headlines, it is useful to contemplate salient points from Charles Krauthammer about the modern genesis of the strife in the land of milk and honey.

Almost 10 years ago, in scenes televised worldwide, the Israeli military pulled Israeli settlers off the roofs of synagogues and out of their homes as the army expelled its own citizens and cleared Gaza out for the Palestinians. Every inch of Gaza, including 3,000 greenhouses that were used to produce fruit and flowers for export, was turned over to the Palestinians.

And how have Gaza Palestinians reacted to the gift that was handed to them—an independent territory, something no one else had ever done for them before? Rather than building a state and improving their lives (they destroyed the greenhouses and elected Hamas), the Palestinians have spent the last nine years fortifying a massive military base with terror weapons to make unending war on Israel.

Dead Palestinians for international TV is a headliner. So Hamas, refusing to participate in any efforts to make peace with either today’s world or with Jews, “perversely” urges that its own people not seek safety when warned by Israel that it will soon attack. Read more from Mr. Krauthammer as he points out, “Rarely does international politics present a moment of such moral clarity.”