United states should be in the conflict in the middle east. Here are the numbers. You can also find us online. You can tweet us cspanwj. Facebook. Ee spoc here is the have one of the washington post. Secretary clinton will travel to the middle east as israel always risky choices on and gaza. Clinton will travel to the middle east today to discuss ongoing violence in gaza according to white house officials she will talk with leaders in jerusalem, ramallah and cairo. Issues leading the east asia summit that president obama is an app. The death toll in the gaza strip surpassed 100 on monday. With evidence that an egyptian a truce is in the side. Ben rose, the Deputy National security adviser for Strategic Administration at the white house says clinton and obama have been talking about this threat to the trip. Throughout the trip. They discussed the way forward. They concluded the best way to the dance discussions with leaders is for secretary clinton to take this trip beginning with our close partner, israel. And clintons middle east talks do not include hamas leaders. They say the secretary will not meet with hamas, that states does not recognize diplomatically. Clinton cut short her stay at the east asia summit to take this trip. Headline in the Baltimore Sun middle east conflict puts the United States in a bind. Israel risks other goals across the region. By all accounts, the damage to United States influence in the area is likely to grow if israel sends Ground Troops into gauze and, as it is threaded to do to stop hamas from firing rockets into israel. Joining us now to give us more insight into what is happening is a made east correspondent with the wall street journal. Thank you for being with us. Where are you . Guest i am coming back from southern israel, from tele aviv. They have been shooting down in about rockets. Inbound rockets. Host charles, give us perspective insectary clinton taking a trip there. How significant is this step . Guest it is tough. New powers like the emerging powers and a bigger roles in this area like in turkey, these are governments that want to be close to the United States, would like to depend on the United States for aid, but at the same time, these are new democratic governments that are much more answerable to the popular votes, the electorate than all but dictatorships were. And the violence years putting them under a lot of pressure to distance themselves from israel and the United States. It is making it difficult for the United States to get off on ot. Right fough host is this a moment to see how much influence the United States on the lines you are talking . I am looking at a story here. Could this be a reflection of United States credibility and influence in the area depending on what happens next . Guest this is an area where there are new powers and we do not know how the new powers are going to interact. But this has been defining the area for decades. Or these new democratic governments going to deal with this conflict . A much different would be than the old traditional ways. This is a defining moment. And i think secretary clinton wants to be here and a part of that and engaged as much as possible so the United States can stay with these emerging powers in this area. Host a headline in your papers as gauze the toll rises, as a top militant is targeted. Give us a sense of how what is happening there now compares to past incidents, passed a break out of the violence . What is new . What is difference . What is the same . Guest it has hardly been it has been a violent and a ferocious campaign. It is significantly less than in 2009. The ultimate death toll than was close to 1400. It did a lot of damage to israels reputation. There are trying to avoid that scenario. It is hard to know what those numbers if they are true. You are not seeing a safety measure of International Condemnation that tucson past operations. They maintain a fairly decent measure of international support. But now it is to the point where, they are facing pressure to launch a Ground Invasion. So, that is where we are at at this point. There is going either to be a cease fire or an expansion. Host he started out by telling ask that you were near the dome, the defense that israel has in place. Guest it is been pretty remarkably effective. I think the numbers 800 rockets at israel, about 300 have been shot down by a dome. Once the rocket is launched, the greater our picks it up and the tax its trajectory and determines whether the rocket will hit a predetermined map of built up areas. It lets it go if it will not. But if it is heading towards a built up area, it shoots it down. And when it tries to shoot it down and has about an 80 , 90 success rate. You can imagine how different the pressure in israel would be if those brianne records that might have landed on a buildup areas actually landed. If those rockets might have landed on it built up areas actually landed. Host charles levinson, speaking with us from israel. Thank you for taking the time. Our question for you is what is the United States role, what it should be. On our line for democrats, good morning. Caller our role has been so far, israel can be no wrong. But the majority of americans do not support israel right or wrong. That they can do no wrong. So if the American Public were to suffer and show there were suffering because of israels policies, they get us and some sort of a mess, i think israel will lose support of the American Public. And if they do, elected officials will suddenly change their tune and not be saying all of these things that we have to support israel no matter what they do. The non violence solution is to join the movement to boycott israeli products and to withdraw and investments in is really industries the same way we did with south africa ove. It was the americans who made that decision and took action against south africa that got Nelson Mandela out of a prison. I think the nonviolence solution will be for the American Public to think about where they put their money. And this as we withdraw money from israel, and it this way, i believe that the leaders in israel will decide that it will be better to live in peace than to abuse the palestinians. Host here is a tweet. Stop sending our planes and bombers. Let us take a look at a story and politico. Our last caller speculated on the viewpoint of americans. This is a poll asking about United States support for israeli actions. It is as the majority of americans believe Israel Military attack on the gaza strip is justified according to a poll released yesterday. Only a quarter of americans think the israeli response to rockets fired the countrys cities is unwarranted. The poll found, while 57 believe the response is proper, and 19 have no opinion. Dozens of people in the gaza have died as a result of the attack, which were launched last week in response to repeated shelling from islamic militants in the area. The operation, dubbed pillar of defense began with an air strike that killed hamas chief of operations. Let us go to maryland, on our line for independents, marilyn. Caller i think we should not be supporting israel all of the time. They have been over there on and i see on the news that a lot of kids are being killed. Innocent people. And we support israel. We cannot afford to, you know, support israel. Everything they do. And every time you go against israel, they bring up the holocaust and so forth. And this is a terrible thing it, killing these innocent people a red there. For every is really, killing and bombing. Giving them money and bombs to do it. That is why they hate us. And i think it is terribly wrong. We shouldnt be supporting israel and killing innocent people. Host or should stay with israel as our allies, so much, and a that is to be true. What do think the role should be for the United States in the middle east conflict . That is our question. Let us look of some more news stories to get perspective. Disks an ap story of this is an ap story of an attack. An israeli man attacked a lightly wounded and lightly wounded a Security Guard at the United States embassy in tel aviv. The mans motive was unknown. Political motives were not suspected. That is according to a police spokesman. Working at another tweet looking at a story coming to us from the Baltimore Sun it recaps the conflict and to assess a time line of what is happening in the past week and gives a viewpoint of the region. There was a border clash that would give the four is really soldiers, and a dozen militants and israel exchanged rocket and shell fire. In november 13, is real and hamas said messages via egypt indicating interest in a truce, but then it degraded from there. At the question is whether egypt can play a role, or the United States which has sent Hillary Clinton, can play a role. The israelis debate a Ground Invasion of your reporting from gaza city, the olive orchards, they lied to enter the border. Monday the area was a virtual no mans land. Hundreds of families have fled. It says that gazana are not the only ones encouraged about a Ground Invasion. Talks in cairo, continue in cairo. Let us hear from on next call, terry in maryland, on our line for republicans. Caller america has no real influence in the middle east. I say that because we have been trying to negotiate this cents ronald reagan. And if we had any influence with the arabspeaking population, we basically would have succeeded by now. The reality is, for half of the countries, we are nothing more than ana tm, and the other half, we are nothing more nothingan atm and for the others we are nothing more than an antagonist. It is not something we discuss in the news. Therefore, all it is is people attacking israel. It is not i believe what the underlying theme is for the muslim population. And that is to regain glory of the old muslim empire. Host any sense that the United States involvement over the decades, any sense that the United States had a positive impact and things could have been worst . Caller no. Of all of the countries there, with the exception of jordan, no country really allows us to influence them. Host a tweet from gary, he says our role in the middle east should be non. Israel takes care of its own. Not our business. Let us go to steve, fla. , on our line for independents. Caller i wish more americans would learn that when you are sitting next to a nation or group of people who continually fire rockets into your nation without any concern whatsoever or justification that continually, israel has every right to protect itself and should continue to do so. I totally wish for a solution. As a matter of fact, the Palestinian People have been offered a solution three times to their benefit, and they have turned it down. Host what you think United States role should be . Caller with president obama, i do not know exactly what our role is. I believe he is doing it behind closed doors i am mike past president s. I do not think being more vocal about it would help the situation. I would hope the government of egypt, which receives 1 billion a year to support its military, would take a more active role along with president hama. Host from the l. A. Times, 18. As for into turmoil by the arab spring uprising, the right to defend itself has been one of few constants and then is not changed despite the well publicized rocky relationship between president obama and benjamin netanyahu. If israel sends Ground Troops into gaza to stop the Hamas Militant Group from firing rockets into israel. President obama has spoken repeatedly with leaders in israel and egypt. And Hillary Clinton has spoken with other officials while she and obama went ahead with a visit to thailand. Let us go to net call and washington, d. C. On our line for democrats. Caller i believe the United States should always stand behind israel. Whether it is president obama or our leaders, they seem to deviate from that. We as american citizens should be adamant. This is one of the first things i will stand up for as an american and support for israel. Host how would you like to see the United States demonstrated that . Caller if get out there in protest, show our support. However, i believe strongly, this is one of the few things i believe strongly for. Host with do you think that means in terms of actual policy. What about the American Government . Caller we should support israel and not deviate from that. President obama cannot talk out of both sides of his mouth. Host let us look of this, and from twitter. Steve says the United States role in the middle east conflict . I have a feeling we will be asking this question of 100 years from now. You can join the conversation on facebook. Tammy writes in if we need to promote peace and nothing but peace. A dead child is a dead child in a matter what church they are raised in it. And coming up soon on a cspan at noon, we will be broadcasting a segment that has to do with this issue. The Woodrow Wilson center will be having a panel talking about defining american priorities in the middle east. That is at noon. The moderators the Vice President from new initiatives and a distinguished scholar historian. That will be Woodrow Wilson center event happening at noon today. From indiana on our line for independents, hi, omar. Caller hi. I did want to say that what israel is doing is horrendous. It has been going on, they killed 15,000 back and 119. 1400 back in 2006. Already well over 100. I believe that if nuclear war comes to this world, israel will be because of it. And i also believe that country is going to be the downfall of our own country. Thank you. Host let us go to upper malboro maryland, on our line for democrats. Caller i have no problem with the United States supporting israel, but they need to be evenhanded. We support israel no matter what they do. But netanyahu knows the president is calling mr. To asia. Is going on the trip to asia. All we have been talking about is what is going on in israel. Israel does not want peace. Because as long as they can play the part of the victim, they are entitled to a billion dollars in a Financial Aid from the United States. And we are trying to befriends and the middle east, trying to make friends with libya and leaders in egypt. And there sabotaging our foreign policy. Thank you. Host we will look how much money goes out internationally from United States. Asiadent obamas trip to obama challenges myanmar on the visit. He later criticized cambodias record. The president is using his asia trip to make the first president ial visit here. He called for americanstyle democracy or they take orders from civilians. It is going on to another headline relating to the president s trip, obama urges more reform in his historic visit. You can see the president along with president obama was riding in his motorcade from the first United States president to visit the long isolated nation money suddenly ordered an ounce of gold a detour on monday. When he suddenly ordered a detour on monday. The president walked over to a statue. And he went through some of the local traditions and have some of the experience there before meeting with leaders and then of. Ours leave theip could lea nation ran into with trading allies. We will look more headlines in the news, let us give back your phone calls and hear from bobby in memphis, tenn. On our line for democrats. We are talking about the United States role in the middle east. Caller i am shocked i got through. I think we need to stop supporting them and stop pouring more money there. We talk about the deficits. That puts a lot more money into our caucus. Host when you say them, and do . Caller israel. They are not as focused over there. I do not understand the whole situation. They can start any disruption they want to, whenever they want to. It is just time to stop. Host what you think that should result in . What you think that would do to the region . Caller i do not know. Palestinians and those guys fight each other, too. I do not know. I think we need to get our money out of their can stop picking sides. And allowed them resolve their own issues. Host let us of the money trail. This from the Huffington Post. Looking at the United States money that goes overseas. Israel, over 3 million. It pays off when it comes to foreign aid. We will look of other countries here. Afghanistan, over 2. 3 million. That is another place america spends significant amounts of money. Let us look and pakistan, a 2. 1 million. The headline of this, surprised that pakistan comes and head of the roc iraq . It does. Assistance has declined recently to iraq. Matt, on our line for republicans. Caller i believe that we need to support American Interest within the region. And despite certain acts that our allies may take, when we have incidence like the benghazi incident, now more than ever do any to stand by our allies within a very torm