Israel probably has done more work to avoid civilian casualties than any country faced with comparable threats and should be able to continue what it's doing — rid the world and the Palestinians of Hamas — and finish the job, Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz said on Newsmax.
"I think they have plenty of credit based on complying with the rule of law. They've tried very hard to target only [Hamas] and not civilians and they have succeeded for the most part," Dershowitz said Friday during an appearance on "Newsline" when asked about reports that Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday questioned Israel's strategy for resuming war against Hamas and suggested that Israel was running out of time.
Blinken, according to a leaked conversation reported on by Channel 12, said Israel couldn't carry out the attack the same way it did in the northern Gaza Strip as population density in the south has increased since Gazans moved away from the conflict zone.
"There are two million Palestinians there," Blinken reportedly said. "You need to evacuate fewer people from their homes, be more precise in your attacks, not damage U.N. facilities, and make sure there are enough safe areas. And if not, then don't attack where there is a civilian population. What will be your method of operation?"
IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi replied that the Israel Defense Force makes sure to act on the basis of "proportionality, judgment and international law." He added: "There were times when we attacked based on these principles, and there were times when we decided not to attack because we were waiting for a better opportunity."
Dershowitz said he didn't like Blinken's comment "at all."
The supposed 13,000 dead, he added, "Is a Hamas figure and it includes people killed by rocket fire from Gaza. It includes people who went along with the attack on Oct. 7 who were civilians, it includes people whose homes were used to store rockets and tunnels and includes a great many people who on a continuum of civilianity come much closer to being combatants than civilians."
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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