With Israel Poised To Invade Gaza, Sentiment Starts To Turn Away from Hamas Response
Worry beginning to grow that retaliation could be "disproportionate"
With Israeli forces apparently on the eve of a massive invasion of Gaza, world opinion is beginning to turn against Israel’s response to last week's devastating Hamas terrorist attacks.
The death toll has already climbed more than 3,000 dead in the initial attacks and counterstrikes since Hamas launched its brutal and unprecedented terrorist attacks last Saturday.
Sentiment from the United States — and much of the world — was swift and strong solidarity with Israel after the latest terrorism, with President Biden speaking out and top members of his administration traveling to Israel to show support.
However, opinion seems to be wavering as the Israeli military warned civilians in the densely populated northern half of the Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south, “to preserve your safety,” ahead of a widely expected ground offensive.
The United Nations and several humanitarian groups have sharply criticized Israel’s evacuation order.
“After days of airstrikes, the Israeli Defense Forces have ordered the Palestinians in Gaza City and its surroundings to move to the south of the territory,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday, ahead of a Security Council meeting about the conflict.
“Moving more than one million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous – and in some cases, simply not possible,” he said.
Such concern is not limited to the United Nations.
“I've spoken to Londoners who have lost family members in Gaza. I also, by the way, spoke to Londoners who've lost members of the family as a consequence of the Hamas terrorist attack last weekend. And so we're feeling the pain here in London,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “But, you know, we are worried about the response of the Israeli government being disproportionate, leading to, you know, the sort of suffering. That's inexplicable.”
Worry over the Israeli response has also begun to appear in US media.
CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, in an on-camera interview.
“And I guess my question is, if Hamas is a terrorist group — which it is — but if it is, then how can you hold all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza responsible for what Hamas did?” Tapper asked. “Don’t you think that they rule by killing people who he oppose them?”
Sonny Hostin, co-host of the popular chat show, The View, raised issues on Friday.
“I look at it from a legal perspective. And I think we all know that Hamas has been designated a terror organization, just like many other terror organizations have this designation, like the Proud Boys here in the United States. But I do think that what we need to remember is that there is an international human rights body of law,” Hostin said. “And when you look at that law, part of it is retaliation against innocent civilians collectively is also terror and is also a war crime. And, again, those are not my words, those are the words of the law.
“And the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said just last year, when we were all talking about Ukraine, she said, ‘Russia’s attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes. Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming, these are acts of pure terror and we have to call it as such,’” she added. “And so what I’m seeing is, yes, I think those that are around, the other Arab countries, Israel actually bombed the only exit out of Palestine to Egypt.”
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