Where’s the Coverage? Joint Chief Chairman Declares “Israel Went to Extraordinary Lengths” to Protect Gaza Civilians
Discussing Operation Protective Edge at a forum at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in New York City, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey stated:
I actually do think that Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties.
[…]In this kind of conflict, where you are held to a standard that your enemy is not held to, you’re going to be criticized for civilian casualties.
To their credit, Reuters reported this speech and The Volokh Conspiracy, a blog affiliated with though not under the editorial control of The Washington Post, ran a piece. It was covered in niche publications as well as the Jewish and Israeli press, but none of the major news outlets reported this remarkable admission.
Especially since it was already published by Reuters, it would have been easy for news media to report on America’s top general stating unequivocally that Israel went to extraordinary lengths to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza. But they didn’t.
The Times of Israel wrote::
Dempsey listed Israel Defense Forces measures such as the “roof-knocking” and the dropping of warning leaflets as part of their attempts to protect civilian lives.
“The IDF is not interested in creating civilian casualties. They’re interested in stopping the shooting of rockets and missiles out of the Gaza Strip and into Israel,” Dempsey argued.
The American general recounted that an American delegation visited Israel three months ago to learn lessons from the conflict, “to include the measures they took to prevent civilian casualties and what they did with tunneling.”
Dempsey’s statements stand in stark contrast to a recent Amnesty International report accusing Israel of displaying “callous indifference” in attacks on family homes in the densely populated coastal area.
Naturally, the Amnesty International report critical of Israel was widely reported in such major outlets as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Guardian and many more. Yet, when it comes to something positive – and true! – about Israel… Where’s the coverage?
More from SNAPSHOTS
CNN’s Amanpour Condemns “power grab” By Israel’s Prime Minister and Others
April 1, 2020
We’ve said it often, but it’s worth repeating: Anyone interested in reasonably unbiased information about Israel (at least) should avoid the broadcasts of CNN’s Chief International Correspondent and Anchor, Christiane Amanpour. In characterizing responses to [...]
Seattle Media Oblivious To Imam’s Hateful Indoctrination Condemning Jews
January 7, 2020
The Masjid Ar-Rahmah mosque teaching – that Allah transformed Jews into apes and pigs for disobeying him – delivered by Imam (prayer leader) Mohamad Joban – was posted online by mosque personnel. This December 2019 [...]
AP Distorts: Bethlehem ‘Almost Completely Surrounded’
December 10, 2019
Over two years after improving inaccurate language falsely citing Israel's security "barrier surrounding the biblical city" of Bethlehem, the Associated Press once again misrepresents. AP's Joseph Krauss and Mohammad Daraghmeh wrote yesterday ("Palestinians in Bethlehem [...]
Reuters Errs on Administrative Detention For ‘Anti-Israel Activity’
November 5, 2019
The Ofer Prison, near Ramallah (Photo by Tamar Sternthal) A Reuters article today egregiously misrepresents administrative detention, erroneously asserting that it is mainly applied to "Palestinians suspected of anti-Israeli activities," when in fact the Israeli [...]