For the lasted spat between the Palestinians and Israel I made use of the cartogram map. These maps distort the land size by a variable of interest. The two I chose where population and fatalities. As Israel and the West Bank have similar population densities they look the same while Gaza, run by Hamas and the focus hostilities, has a high population density. The fatality map just prior to the ground invasion, July 17, 2014, shows the approximately 100-1 casualty rate. Though today, July 19, 12 Israelis were killed along with about 100 Palestinians. As for the politics it is way to complicated and depressing for this blog post.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/15/world/middleeast/toll-israel-gaza-conflict.html?_r=0
http://www1.cbs.gov.il/ts/databank/series_one.html?codets=3763
Design & Geography 
Hi, Matt-
As a former draftsman, I also enjoy and appreciate maps (esp ancient maps, but that’s another story). I am having real trouble, however, understanding what you are trying to depict in the two maps re Israel and Gaza. Is it to show that, with respect to the size of the Gaza population, Gaza is suffering a huge percentage of deaths, and this occurred before the ground invasion?
I haven’t yet looked at the other maps you have referenced (probably should have done this before I started writing), so please forgive if this seems a stupid question.
Hi, It is number not percentage. So it is showing about 100 dethes for Gaza but only one for Israel. The other map just shows raw population. The proportion is the relative size so that is what the make is telling us. You can look at my world cup team value map for another example or makers takers. Hope that helps.