By the Christmas rockets' red glare

All is neither calm nor bright in the Holy Land this holiday season. Militants in the Gaza Strip have decided to renew their attacks on Israel. The military wing of Hamas, Izzedine Al Qassam claimed the attacks were to avenge the deaths of five of its own by the Israeli military. It seems that Hamas may have been using the recently expired six-month truce to improve it's striking capacity. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is hopeful that Egypt will be able to broker another cease-fire. Israel, for its part, seems to have opted for retaliation, killing a member of Hamas during an airstrike. However, the renewed fighting seems not to have stopped pilgrims from traveling to Bethlehem, which itself lies within the bounds of the West Bank. One thing is clear, the renewed fighting will not ensure Heavenly Peace within the bounds of the Holy Land this holiday season.