“It’s unfortunate, but every once in a while you have to mow the lawn.”

This remark as applied by Israel in its fight with the Palestinians describes Israel’s killing of hundreds of women, men and children periodically every few years as the pendulum swings from peace to war and back again in the Middle East. The latest mowing…July 2014.

Those who follow the news know a few months earlier peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinians broke down or rather I should say predictably stalled. In a frank explanation, US Secretary of State John Kerry blamed Israel for the breakdown. Israel had, after all left the negotiations when Fatah and Hamas announced their plans for a unity government. Israel said Abbas would have to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas. Israel “will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel’s destruction”. The President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas responded by indicating any unity government would recognize Israel, be non-violent and bind itself to previous PLO agreements. Israel had a hard time believing that statement and consequently left the negotiation table.

While the relationship between Fatah and Hamas was strengthening, the relationship between Israel and the US was deteriorating. Open criticism in the US that Israel was not negotiating in good faith was putting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A core Israeli argument that Fatah spoke only for Fatah was beginning to break down. In early June, a new Palestinian Authority government was inaugurated endorsed by Hamas and Fatah. When the US made moves to accept the new government international pressure began to mount towards Israel.

In order to reverse the mounting pressure, Israel had to show that Hamas was not serious about giving up terrorism and so a few days later an opportunity presented itself when three young Israelis in the West Bank went missing. Netanyahu quickly directed the responsibility towards Hamas and despite reasonable evidence the young men were already dead sent a rescue team into the West Bank. Dubbed a hostage rescue operation it was really an attempt to expose the fragility of the new Palestinian Authority. Several Palestinians were killed; mass arrests were made and several houses were demolished.

The predictable result was rocket fire from Hamas – followed by another mowing.

So, two years after President Obama called the troops home he’s sent in the jet fighters to fight ISIS – the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. To me ISIS sounds like an acronym you find in a GI Joe movie or Marvel comic. Yet, they’re a deadly serious group intent on creating an Islamic caliphate carved from Iraq and Syria.

“As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,” President Obama explains while authorizing military action. Why am I not convinced? If you don’t want to be dragged into a war, the best way is to leave your military at home – not deploy them. Apparently, Obama is protecting US personnel from these ISIS fighters, but isn’t that best accomplished by removing the personnel from conflict not adding military action?

Clearly, the tipping point was when ISIS took over the city of Qaraqosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq and told the people there to either convert to Islam, pay a fine or face death (by sword). Naturally, the people there left. I don’t blame them. ISIS has the habit of following through on their threats. An enemy that keeps its word has to be taken seriously. ISIS posted videos of their killings and after beheading their victims they placed their heads on spikes. A time honored tactic designed to strike fear.

Now, the cynical part of me says if Christians weren’t involved Obama would have waited longer. Before now, Obama was waiting for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to step aside as a condition for US involvement. It seems al-Maliki’s policies of favoring Shia’s have helped create ISIS.  In 2012, no doubt inspired by Arab Spring, Sunnis started demonstrating against al-Maliki’s government charging him with treating them as second class citizens. Remember, Sunnis had it good under Saddam Hussein and now the tide had turned. So, when Iraqi troops attacked protesters in the town of Hawijah, killing 53 people an al-Qaeda offsoot known as ISIS retaliated by breaking almost 500 militants from Abu Ghraib in Baghdad.

A new group of terrorists are born. Just like that