Chairman of Joint Chiefs Breaks w/Kerry on Israeli War on Hamas

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During Israel’s campaign against Hamas, the State Department repeatedly blasted Israel’s actions. John Kerry was caught on the microphone mocking Israel.

Seemingly oblivious to the Fox News camera in front of him and Fox News mic pinned on his lapel, America’s top diplomat harshly criticized the on-going Israeli operation in Gaza following news of Israeli army casualties and Palestinian civilian deaths.

“It’s a helluva pinpoint operation,” he told a top aide sarcastically over his cellphone. “It’s a helluva pinpoint operation.”

But the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, despite not being a war hero like Kerry, appears to have a different point of view.

Yesterday, Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave a lecture at the Carnegie Council for Ethics. He was asked by an audience member to comment on IDF’s ethics during Operation protective Edge, and here was his answer:

“I actually do think that Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties. In fact, about 3 months ago we sent, we asked [IDF Chief of Staff] Benny [Gantz] if we could send a lessons learned team – one of the things we do better than anybody I think is learn – and we sent a team of senior officers and non-commissioned officers over to work with the IDF to get the lessons from that particular operation in Gaza.”

“To include the measures they took to prevent civilian casualties and what they did with tunneling, because Hamas had become very nearly a subterranean society. And so, that caused the IDF some significant challenges. But they did some extraordinary things to try to limit civilian casualties to include calling out, making it known that they were going to destroy a particular structure. Even developed some techniques, they call it roof knocking, to have something knock on the roof, they would display leaflets to warn citizens and population to move away from where these tunnels.”

“But look 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. So I think if Benny were sitting here right now he would say to you we did everything we could and now we’ve learned from that mission and we think there are some other things we could do in the future and we will do those.”

“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 in to Israel, and its an incredibly difficult environment, and I can say to you with confidence that I think that … they acted responsible.”

Unlike administration officials, generals aren’t expect to praise Israel. They’re often critical of Israel. And Dempsey isn’t just praising Israel, he’s offering a professional opinion while mentioning that the US is trying to learn how to similarly limit civilian casualties.

Not the sort of thing you try to do if Israel is a bad example.

In reality, Israel is considered a canary in a coal mine when it comes to fighting terrorism, developing tactics and technology that the US then goes on to use. That’s something radical leftists frequently harp on, while more liberal critics conveniently ignore.

Dempsey sounds a lot like the UK’s Col. Kemp. I suspect that similar opinions would come from sober generals in different countries, including those that don’t like Israel. His comments however are politically inconvenient for an administration whose only tune is “Blame Israel”.

 

  • weirdpeter

    How to deal with an honest man? Retire him!

  • verneoz

    Dempsey must be having buyer’s remorse. He did not like Bush’s Iraq war, so Obama picked him for the CJCS job. His recommendations have repeatedly been turned down by the lefties in Obama’s inner circle.

  • 1Indioviejo1

    I am glad Gen. Dempsey had the guts to state the obvious, Israel is NOT out to kill civilians. Only the Arabs do so in this conflict. It is their SOP.

  • Pete
    • bob smith

      “But I give Obama no credit”

      Credit as the history books will show, will never be given to this traitor. There is NO CHOICE but to continue to add more of America’s finest on the ground and to understand once and for all that what is occurring there is no different than the nazzzzi movement of the ’30′s.

      If this is not dealt with in a very violent and heavy-handed manner, these mother fcking rag head, camel fckers will drag the world into a major war. Turkey is all but on the brink of piss and vinegar bravado that may very well lead them to believe they can get away with anything.

      Within a year there will be hundreds of thousands of America’s finest stomping on the neck of those evil camel fckers.

      Then we can begin to cleanse that stench from our midst in a similar fashion.

  • iluvisrael

    In the midst of the vast cesspool which is the obama administration, this guy is some fresh air.

  • objectivefactsmatter

    Elections have consequences. Free people can start breathing a little easier.

    • bob smith

      True enough, yet the odumbo admin and the clown himself could care less for democracy. We cannot breath easier until the big government RINOs get it through their stupid left wing heads that there is no need to reach across the floor to ameliorate anything with any progressive. Those idiots have had 6 years to destroy The Republic and thanks to The Almighty Himself, they have not succeeded.

      The people voted no to amnesty, no to odumbocare, no to socialism and no to odumbo.

      They must hold him and his to the fire. Period. then we can breath easier.

  • truebearing

    No doubt Obama and Kerry are both furious, but if they make an issue of his comments, they will invite scrutiny that won’t redound to their credit…not that they have any.

  • birddog

    Even with the tongue in cheek calling Kerry a war hero makes me want to puke.

  • Gee

    The US doesn’t even pretend to meet our standards, and they never have. Heck Odumba announced that the far lower standards for the US have already been abandoned in Syria and Iraq because they are too hard for America.

    And the US is the 2nd best on avoiding civilian casualties – none of the rest of the Eurotrash even meet America’s low standards, they just complain about the JOOOOSSSSS!!!! They know we are better than they are and they hate that

    • Pete

      I think you are wrong about the Eurotrash.

      They generally do not fight with the exception of Britain and France.

      Germany for example does not have a record in the former Yugoslavia or in Afghanistan.

      Remember when the U.S hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade? Well, was it possible for Germany to f_ck-up, when they did not really play? Ditto Afghanistan. Germany only played in the safest provinces.

      Italy might have flown a few sorties over Libya.

      I would not include the Eastern Europeans in the Eurotrash.

    • bob smith

      “The US doesn’t even pretend to meet our standards, and they never have…”

      Gee, with all due respect, I beg to differ. In fact I would argue quite the opposite. The military of the USA does not, never has, AND WILL NEVER play second fiddle to any military of any country anywhere in the world AT ANY TIME!

      History, past and present is my guide. The Israeli military, God bless them, owe everything to the military of The Republic. From weaponry, intelligence support, technology, logistics, SEAL warfare tactics, etc., take your pick, the list goes on.

      This article and the General’s opinion were specific to Israel’s handling of terrorists in the midst of the general populace (who by the way in that neck of woods are all fucking terrorists and all need to be shot (‘Heart of Darkness’)).

      The military of The Republic is second best to no one. That is fact and I can assure you, the Israeli military would be the first to tell you the very same.

      God speed to Israel. God speed to The Republic.

  • SoCalMike

    We need more senior brass to step forward, speak up and oppose.

  • Space Cowboy

    I don’t know what all the hub bub is about preventing so-called Palestinian civilian causalities? That’s asinine since all Muslims in the world are jihadists in one form or another, including the women and children, per the dictates of Islam. Hence, it’s obvious there are no civilians in Islamic totalitarian society.

    Do you think they distinguish between legal combatants or illegal noncombatants when waging jihad against infidels? Heck no they don’t…they primarily target innocent civilian infidels because they make the easiest targets.

    PC multiculturalism will be the death knell for infidel society if it doesn’t hurry up and wake up.

  • JohnWV

    Gaza is Israel’s open air prison for Palestinians guilty only of their ethnicity. The racist Jewish state with the world’s fourth most powerful military incarcerates them, baits them, kills civilian men, women and children and enjoys a near one hundred to one kill ratio. Any retaliation the Palestinians/Hamas are able to wreak upon their Jewish captors is commendable. America giving the Jews any assistance whatsoever for their continuing land theft and ethnic killing is cruel and criminal.

    • Pete

      Israel doesn’t even make the top 10. The rest of your argument is bogus too.

      What are you smoking?

      Hopium?

      The 10 Most Powerful Militaries In The World

    • John Pallyswine

      The Arab Muslim world is itself an open air prison, especially if you are a female.

    • MukeNecca

      “Gaza is Israel’s open air prison for Palestinians guilty only of their ethnicity”

      Why is it Israel’s prison?

      Israel doesn’t stop the “Palestinians” to move out from this “prison” to, for example, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, SaudiArabia, Somalia…
      Israel is only preventing them to move to Tel Aviv.
      Doesn’t seem like what a jail keeper would do.

      “guilty of their ethnicity”?
      Since when “Palestinian” is an ethnicity?

      “…enjoys a near one hundred to one kill ratio.
      They are lucky it is only a hundred-to-one ratio. If these stinking cowards crawled out from behind their own civilians the ratio would have climbed to two hundred-to-one.

  • bob smith

    “But the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, despite not being a war hero like Kerry, appears to have a different point of view.”

    LMFAO!

    Priceless yet again. Love ya’ Daniel, keep it coming. :-). You’re a Patriot.

    The west will have no choice but to take Israel’s lead if we are to survive the muslim hordes. Plain, and simple.