it's very strong criticism. >> let me ask you, peter beinart. with those strong words, to remind everyone, israel/u.s., long-time allies. we have talked about the criticism coming from israel when it comes to secretary kerry and his efforts over there. but now to hear the criticism coming from the obama administration, how do you think that's sitting with israel? >> not well. but these are two administrations that have always had a very testy relationship. >> frothy, testy. >> probably worse than that in private. and i think things have gotten a little bit worse. the interview that benjamin netanyahu did over the weekend, which the israeli government has not repudiatrepudiated, for ame never to second guess him again on hamas, that's also an unusual way for a much smaller ally to talk to a kind of patron like the united states. so that may be part of what's going on. i also wouldn't be surprised if the u.n., which has been getting increasingly desperate about these -- you know, these incidents with their facilities, might have really made a plea

joining me now, peter beinart, cnn political commentator and columnist for the israeli newspaper. and ben shapiro, editor-in-chief of truthrevolt.org. gentlemen, good to see both of you. peter, let me start with you. we're talking about the issue of civilians and civilian deaths in gaza. let's listen again to what president obama said than today. >> no sympathy for hamas. have i great sympathy for ordinary people who are struggling within gaza. >> the president also reiterated the right of israel to defend itself against rocket attacks. what did you make of his comments today? >> he is exactly right. israel does have the right to defend itself. it also needs some better guarantees against hamas rockets. i was in israel with my 6-year-old daughter during the first week of the war. we were in and out of shelters. it's very frightening. but ordinary palestinians also need some relief from a blockade that has destroyed the gazan economy and actually helped hamas. the blockade has destroyed the independent business class in gaza by making exports virtually impossible. it's made it very

. >>> joining me now, peter beinart the author of the crisis of zionism and thank you, gentlemen, for joining us. peter, the question as i mentioned to michelle, they never mentioned hamas in the white house statement. u.s. and israel have deemed them a terrorist organization. the two sides won't talk to each other. can anything be accomplish heard? will the negotiations work? >> it seems like it's going to be difficult. hamas, and not just hamas, but almost all palestinians want some relief from the blockade that has destroyed the economy in gaza and produced a tremendous amount of suffering. israel wants the demilitarization of gaza because they want to make sure there are no more rockets and tunnels. maybe between the two goals there some kind of deal. but the question is who would carry out the demilitarization? i think the only answer can be a palestinian unity government that brings mahmoud abbas back into gaza and allows for elections that are legitimate among all the palestinians, including in gaza. >> what do you say to that, alan dershowitz? >> well, elections are wonderful

you didn't write it peter beinart did. >> guest: peter's thesis is that hillary's greatest strengthsand weakness are the same thing. she has an incredible capacity for putting her head down and executing a well-defined plan. she's incredibly hard-working and incredibly smart and when she knows what she's doing she is very hard to beat and is incredibly talented and moving ahead and executing a plan. peter also identifies in her past and inability to always realize where the political world is headed and to adjust accordingly. he draws on two examples to make this case. as the first is the debacle in 94 with the health care plan where it was really clear well into that process that's what the clintons were proposing when she was overseeing a process that it wasn't working in folks in the white house were telling hillary and bill they need to adjust and maybe settle for half a loaf. she was just very dug in on what she wanted to do with them was able to read the writing on the wall. the other example that is more compelling as her stance on foreign policy with iraq leading up to 2008.

we also have peter beinart, contributing editor for atlantic media, senior columnist for an israeli newspaperh, gentlemen. coop, if i can bring you in first, three-plus hours, four hours into this cease-fire, but what are you hearing on the ground there if that's what this is really perceived as? >> reporter: certainly there's a lot of support in israel for the operations that have taken plus thus far. there's no doubt about it now that support continues to hold. people are waiting to see what's going to happen at the end of the cease-fire. the israeli defense forces say rockets have already been fired in the four hours of this cease-fire, fired from gaza into israel already. for their part palestinian officials say israel violated the cease-fire some 20 minutes into it with a strike on a house in a refugee camp. israel says they're investigating that but say they don't have information on it thus far saying they don't believe it was them. so the tit for tat continues. there is support in israel for the operations. people want to see hamas significantly weakened. no doubt about it. >> coop ma

. >> peter beinart who writes for that newspaper is on the show regular i had. >> he's one of the voicesl but you don't see the questions asked to israeli officials. i've seen israeli officials interviewed everywhere during these four weeks of conflict. i've never seen them asked about blockade, occupation, and whenever we know civilian casualties, and there are a lot of them, 80,0% of the 2,000 children in gaza are shown. we are criticized showing one side of the story but this is our role, to actually give both sides coverage and give voices, having critical media is important, and not only that, diverse media is very important. >> if if you're showing the pictures. >> they showed four kids being killed in front of moyheldin and asked israeli officials what happened there? what's the problem, how can you kill civilians? this is our duty >> isn't it happening? >> it's happening. >> there is an example. we are very careful about what we show of the dead, that's certainly true more in american media than it is abroad, but we are covering the pictures of what's happening to civilians so mu

we're joined by jake tapper on the ground in jerusalem for days now as well as peter beinart, senioron one second. i want to get to jake first to find out exactly, jake, what are you seeing on the ground? you spoke with netanyahu's spokesman in a very important, timely, interesting interview a short time ago. >> well right now what we're seeing is basically where this war was before israel launched the ground campaign. we're seeing militants in gaza firing rockets at israeli population centers. israel responding with air strikes. so far we have word of some casualties on both sides, one death, a 10-year-old boy in gaza, but things are, compared to where they have in this conflict, things are fairly low level as of right now, that's not to say that if you're next to one of those rockets or missiles that goes off, it's not very serious but compared to where it's been, it has not been as heated. in terms of whatever cease-fire talks were going on in cairo, those seem to be on hold for now. israel has, its delegation has returned to israel, so there are no longer any individuals there sp