Blinken rejects claims Israel targeted Gaza civilians

Former Secretary of State Blinken pushes back on claims that Israel intentionally targeted Gaza civilians, even as he criticizes how the war in Gaza was handled.

By World Israel News Staff

Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected allegations that Israel intentionally targeted Gaza civilians during its war against Hamas, even as he criticized the Israeli government’s handling of the war.

Speaking Sunday at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in Washington, Blinken distinguished between the Israeli military’s objectives and the civilian casualties resulting from its operations in Gaza.

“The Israelis didn’t intend to harm Palestinians. The target was Hamas,” Blinken said.

The former secretary of state, who served under President Joe Biden, made the remarks during a joint appearance with his Republican predecessor Mike Pompeo, who served during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

The discussion, moderated by ABC News journalist Juju Chang, addressed the Gaza war, American support for Israel, Iran’s regional ambitions and the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

While Blinken defended Israel against accusations that it deliberately sought to harm or eliminate Palestinians, he claimed that Israel had demonstrated disregard for Gaza civilians and had generally done only what it considered minimally necessary to prevent civilian casualties.

He argued that the distinction between Israel’s intentions and the consequences of its military operations was essential to understanding the conflict.

Pompeo offered a more forceful defense of Israel’s military campaign, arguing that the IDF had confronted an enemy that deliberately embedded itself among civilians and disregarded the consequences for the Palestinian population.

He warned against what he described as efforts to establish a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas and urged supporters of the Jewish state to explain the circumstances under which Israeli soldiers had been operating.

The two former secretaries also addressed growing opposition to Israel among younger Americans.

Blinken revealed that he had personally warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the spring of 2024 that Israel’s military campaign risked undermining its traditionally bipartisan support in the United States.

“You are not only losing the Democratic Party,” Blinken recalled telling Netanyahu, warning that Israel also risked alienating “young Republicans, young evangelicals.”

According to Blinken, younger Americans increasingly perceive Israel as the stronger party in the conflict, reversing the image familiar to earlier generations of an embattled Jewish state surrounded by more powerful adversaries.

He described the changing public perception as a long-term strategic challenge for Israel, particularly as younger voters assume positions of political influence.

Despite their disagreements over Israeli policy, both former secretaries emphasized the importance of maintaining strong ties between Washington and Jerusalem.

Pompeo highlighted the role of Israeli intelligence in protecting Americans, including himself, from terrorist threats.

The former CIA director, who continues to face threats from Iran, said Israeli intelligence services had helped ensure his personal security.

“We couldn’t do the intelligence work we need to do without them,” Pompeo said.

He described the intelligence cooperation between the two countries as an essential component of American national security, arguing that the relationship benefits the United States independently of any financial assistance it provides Israel.

The discussion also addressed the future of American military aid to Israel, currently governed by a ten-year agreement providing $38 billion in assistance through fiscal year 2028.

Blinken said Israeli leaders appeared to recognize that US financial assistance would not necessarily continue indefinitely and were preparing the Israeli public for a future in which the country finances more of its own weapons purchases.

Pompeo likewise emphasized that the strategic relationship extended far beyond financial assistance and would remain valuable even if direct American funding eventually ended.

The former officials differed more sharply over Iran, particularly the ongoing conflict and Tehran’s threats to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pompeo called for maintaining and potentially intensifying economic and military pressure on the Islamic Republic, arguing that its leadership could not be trusted to honor a negotiated settlement.

“We should never give the Iranians a damn thing,” Pompeo declared.

He advocated continued pressure on Iran’s military and economic capabilities to reduce its ability to threaten Israel and other countries in the Persian Gulf.

Blinken took a different position, warning that military efforts to eliminate Iran’s ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could require a major escalation.

He suggested that a negotiated settlement would probably involve American concessions, potentially including sanctions relief, and argued that diplomacy offered a preferable alternative to an expanded military confrontation.

The two also disagreed over the future of Palestinian statehood and its relationship to efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.

Blinken maintained that a lasting resolution required both Israeli security and Palestinian sovereignty, while acknowledging that a future Palestinian state would need substantial restrictions on its military capabilities.

“You have a state that’s demilitarized,” he said, arguing that Hamas would have to be disarmed and Palestinian institutions deradicalized.

He rejected political visions that denied either Israelis or Palestinians a permanent place in the region.

“No one is going anywhere,” Blinken said, arguing that both populations would ultimately have to recognize each other’s continued presence.

Pompeo, meanwhile, argued that the Abraham Accords demonstrated that Israel could establish productive diplomatic relations with Arab states without first resolving the Palestinian conflict.

He maintained that regional cooperation should continue despite the absence of a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement.

The discussion also touched on the growing influence of social media in spreading antisemitism.

Blinken expressed concern about coordinated online campaigns and networks of automated accounts that could amplify extremist messages and contribute to radicalization.

Pompeo pointed to efforts by Russia and China to influence international perceptions of Israel, arguing that foreign information operations were contributing to the increasingly hostile environment.

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