Published November 30, 2023
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel that it lacks “credit” to conduct the kind of military campaign necessary to defeat Hamas, saying that the Biden administration would not tolerate large-scale bombing over months in southern Gaza.
Blinken’s remarks were leaked to the Israeli press. The Times of Israel quoted a transcript of his meeting with Israel’s war cabinet:
Blinken: You can’t operate in southern Gaza in the way you did in the north. There are two million Palestinians there. You need to evacuate fewer people from their homes, be more accurate in the attacks, not hit UN facilities, and ensure that there are enough protected areas [for civilians]. And if not? Then not to attack where there is a civilian population. What is your system of operation?
IDF Chief Herzi Halevi: We follow a number of principles — proportionality, distinction, and the laws of war. There were instances where we attacked on the basis of those principles, and instances where we decided not to attack, because we waited for a better opportunity.
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
RELATED: said to tell Israel to change strategy for southern Gaza, suggest it won’t have months to win war
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the latter’s office in Jerusalem on November 30, 2023. (Amos Ben-Gershom / GPO)
Published November 30, 2023
According to leaked remarks from today’s war cabinet meeting, attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Blinken told Israel it cannot operate in southern Gaza in the way it has done in the north — a presumed reference to the heavy air bombardment and crushing ground operation — and indicated that Israel has weeks, not months, to complete its declared mission of destroying Hamas.
The US Administration has repeatedly backed Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas in the wake of the terror group’s October 7 slaughter of 1,200 Israelis, but has indicated it is increasingly troubled by the civilian fatalities and widespread destruction in the Hamas-run strip.
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SOURCE: www.thetimesofisrael.com
RELATED: Antony Blinken warns Israel: Don’t restart war without ‘civilian protection plan’
Published November 30, 2023
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday that the Jewish state must not resume operations against the Hamas terror group until its forces have a clear plan in place to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“I made clear that before Israel resumed major military operations, it must put in place humanitarian civilian protection plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians,” said Blinken, making his fourth trip to Israel since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed an estimated 1,200 people.
That means taking more effective steps to protect the lives of civilians, including by clearly and precisely designating areas in places in southern and central Gaza where they can be safe and out of the line of fire.”
Hamas’ war-crime tactics of operating from civilian buildings — including hospitals and schools — has made safeguarding innocent lives incredibly challenging for Israel, Israel Defense Forces officials have told The Post.
Thousands of Palestinians have died in the conflict before a truce took effect Nov. 24.
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
