From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

In the Middle East, does diplomacy have a chance?

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Secretary of State Kerry is shuttling around the Middle East in the hope of negotiating a ceasefire

in the Gaza Strip. But both sides seem to be hunkering down with Israel vowing to dismantle Hamas,

while Hamas rockets pose an unexpected threat to Ben-Gurian airport. Will Hamas increase its

demands at the cost of increasing the

suffering of its own people? Can Israel pull back now before scoring some kind of victory? We'll hear

about the challenges for international leaders as the war goes on. Today's talking point proposed new

rules for thousands of train cars carrying volatile oil from the Midwest to coastal refineries.

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Hello again. I'm Mormon. I'll be back with To the Point. The FAA has extended its ban on U.S. airlines flying in and out of Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurian airport, the gateway to Israel.

Israeli officials call that a reward to Hamas for terrorist rocket fire.

Meantime in Gaza, the death toll rises from the Israeli invasion is the timing right for either

side to agree to a ceasefire.

Today's talking point, as U.S. oil production soars, there have been deadly explosions

and spills into rivers from old railroad cars traveling thousands of miles across the country.

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