Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart about “the importance of adhering to the law of war”
While people were busy applauding the good parts of Biden’s speech on the Hamas massacres, they overlooked this section.
“I just got off the phone with — the third call with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And I told him if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming. We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law. Terrorists purpo- — purposefully target civilians, kill them. We uphold the laws of war — the law of war. It matters. There’s a difference.”
And there was a “more balanced tone”, e.g. less pro-Israel, in private.
US President Joe Biden reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their Tuesday phone call to minimize civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip as Israel continues its massive aerial campaign and readies for a potential ground incursion in response to Hamas’s terror onslaught.
While Biden offered full-throated support for Israel in a public address Tuesday that was overwhelmingly welcomed by Jerusalem, he apparently struck a relatively more balanced tone in his call with Netanyahu.
Biden was more direct than in prior calls that the IDF should work to avoid civilian casualties, NBC reports, citing two US officials
Having previously utilized Secretary of Defense Austin to pressure Israel not to conduct democratic judicial reform, now Biden is using him to lecture Israel on civilian casualties.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart on Saturday, underscoring Washington’s support for Israel’s security and discussing the importance of adhering to the law of war, the Pentagon said.
“During the call, he discussed the importance of adhering to the law of war, including civilian protection obligations, and addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza while Israel continues its operations to restore security,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Is Biden having these same conversations with Ukraine? I see no sign of that. There appears to be zero mention of it when came to cluster bombs. Now frankly, I don’t care how Ukraine fights its wars, but is there a reason that the Biden administration keeps lecturing Israel, but not Ukraine about how it fights wars?
Russia loosely adheres to some laws of war, Hamas does not. It operates behind civilians, there’s no way to fight it that doesn’t involve civilian casualties.
The question is whose civilian casualties will they be.
Kuffar says
It is complete hubris that mashed potato brains Joe lectures anyone, Go back to the basement and have a icecream,
Jeremy Zeid says
Let’s get this right, Obama’s sock-puppet lectures Israel about the “laws of war” while handing billions to Iran and so-called “palestine” who couldn’t care less about those “laws”. Bibi, FINISH THE JOB.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Israeli leaders should just stop taking calls of US leaders and intensify this attack: bomb everything, including the civilians (who did vote in Hamas), and annex it once they are done, and re-populate it w/ Jews
rick says
In other words,Israel should act as we did in Germany and Japan in 1945. I don’t recall the US practicing respect for civilians when Dresden and other German cities were bombed. In fact the British who were in charge of the air war over Germany specifically wanted to target civilians so as to “break the will of the people” in support of the Nazi government. That worked. In Japan it was as bad if not worse with the firebombing of Tokyo and finally the use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And those targets were predominantly civilian targets but the use of atomic bombs shortened the war and saved lives on both sides, but especially of American lives.
Ray Jarman says
Spot on as I was about to mention Dresden, Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
somehistory says
This is predictable. biden and crew would not hesitate to bomb whatever if they chose to, not worrying about civilians. In fact, they have killed civilians by mistake…or at least, they said it was a mistake.
Why do the Israelis even bother to answer the phone? .They need weapons help, so they feel they have to answer or risk not getting the ammo they need.
Gov. DeSantis said the U.S. should not take in any *refugees* of the so-called palestinians as they all agree that Israel should be destroyed.
James Lincoln says
somehistory,
Gov. DeSantis was spot-on in his remarks about so-called Palestinian refugees.
somehistory says
I agree, James.
Walter Sieruk says
Joe Biden was as usual speaking nothing but balderdash
Since Hamas viciously and murderously stated this war, the government authorities and officials of the State of Israel have a duty and responsibility to strike Hamas hard and many very strong ways of military force.
As the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe, rightly and wisely, in a speech had declared, “The right to self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals.”
Walter Sieruk says
There is a great difference between the fool and terrible “advice” of Joe Biden, of “Not hitting Hamas too hard” As if such, a thing is possible and in contrast, the wisdom spoken by a genuine US President, Thomas Jefferson, who had rightly said “With every barbarous people….force is law.”
It should also be added that the jihadists who make up Hamas cannot and will not take heed of reason or logic. The only language that they are capable of understanding is that of the language of the might of a strong brutal military might. Therefore, they should be dealt with that way.
WM says
Biden, as usual, is as tone deaf as a US President can be.
Netanyahu understands all too well how to interpret these not too subtle messages and I am confident it will have just the opposite effect in terms of deterring Israel from it’s objectives. It may affect timing or tactics, but I would expect it to have a boomerang effect on ‘Dim Sum Joe’ and his collection of Hamas Supporting Staff.
Thank you Jihad Watch.
WM
somehistory says
biden is saying that hamas must be eliminated, but that Israel should not “occupy” Gaza and that Gaza should be allowed to ‘self-govern.’
‘Gazans’ have been ‘governing’ themselves and look at the results.
How many nations would willingly give up territory to an enemy…sharing a border…so the enemy could easily enter the nation and kill citizens? Besides giving the ‘land’ would also be giving the resources.
Imagine the U.S. giving a couple of states to iran or china and allowing them to be in full charge. (There are a heck-of-a-lot of iranians and chinese in country now…give these enemies a state or two)
The U.S. didn’t even allow fellow Americans to withdraw and form their own government without fighting and killing them for doing so.
OLD GUY says
Laws of war are how you get defeated by the enemy who doesn’t follow those laws.