𝐔𝐒 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥, 𝐕𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫

 

The defense secretary says the US commitment to Israel is ‘unshakable’

by Dave DeCamp, Antiwzr. com, December 18, 2023

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on Monday and vowed continued US military support for the Israeli onslaught on Gaza despite the massive civilian casualty rate.

In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Austin said the US “commitment to Israel is unshakable,” according to The Times of Israel. “America’s commitment to Israel is unwavering, and no individual group or state should test our resolve,” he said.

Austin vowed the US would continue to provide Israel with “the equipment that you need to defend your country,” referring to bombs and other military aid the US has been shipping to Israel since October 7 on a near-daily basis.

US officials have said they want Israel to wrap up the current phase of its war, which involves constant airstrikes and a ground campaign, in the next few weeks and take a more targeted approach against Hamas. Austin said the US had thoughts about more “surgical” operations but made clear the timeline of the onslaught is up to Israel.

“Regarding the timeline, this is Israel’s operation, and I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms. Our support to Israel’s right to defend itself is ironclad, as you’ve heard me say a number of times, and that’s not going to change,” he said.

At a press conference with Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israeli military will “continue to operate in different levels of intensity” as it sees fit and will eventually be able to “transition gradually to the next phase.”

When discussing civilian casualties, Austin said that “protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative” but also gave cover for the Israeli slaughter of civilians. He said the density of Gaza’s population makes it “very, very difficult to conduct any military operation.”

While US officials claim they are concerned about civilian casualties in Gaza, they are not considering placing any conditions on military aid or limits on the use of US-provided bombs. Since October 7, Israel’s onslaught has killed over 19,000 Palestinians, including over 7,500 children.

–

Author: Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com