‘Israel’ Collateral Damage in Report of U.S. Restraint

By Published On: October 15, 2015

The following unpublished letter was sent to The Wall Street Journal on Oct. 7, 2015:

“Dear Editor:

“The U.S. military does go to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, an accomplishment made more impressive given the frequent use of civilians as ‘human shields’ by terrorists (‘The Taliban and the Hospital,’ October 5). Yet, it should be noted that the Israeli military may well have set the standard in this regard, according to a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan.”

“Col. Richard Kemp has pointed out that according to U.N. estimates, the ratio of civilian to combat deaths in most conflicts worldwide, including U.S. and coalition operations in Afghanistan, is 3:1; three civilians for every combatant killed. Citing U.N. figures showing a ratio of roughly 1:1 civilian-to-combat deaths during Israel’s 2008 war against the Hamas terror group, Kemp said ‘the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.’”

“Such ratios highlight the distinction between the values of Western militaries and their enemies. It might be worth examining whether those militaries’ practice of incurring disproportionate risks and losses of life often unrecognized by the press or other countries emboldens enemies and prolongs conflicts.

Sincerely,

Sean Durns

Media Assistant

CAMERA—Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America”

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