Subscribe to our e-mail alerts

E-mail:

Israel News Feed Or subscribe to our RSS feed | What is RSS?
Israel News from Jerusalem Newswire
America in the Middle East

Washington gets behind Israel

Officials dismiss criticism of Jewish allies


By Ryan Jones
July 24, 2006

Senior United States officials Sunday came out strongly in support of Israel, as the international community continued to lambaste the Jewish state with accusations of employing "disproportionate force" and "collective punishment" in its military response to Hizb'allah aggression.

Speaking on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton slammed the idea of "disproportionate force" and the sick moral equivalency that stands behind it.

"I think it's important that we not fall into the trap of moral equivalency here.

"What Hizb'allah has done is kidnap Israeli soldiers and rain rockets and mortar shells on innocent Israeli civilians. What Israel has done in response is act in self-defense. And I don't quite know what the argument about proportionate force means here. Is Israel entitled only to kidnap two Hizb'allah operatives and fire a couple of rockets aimlessly into Lebanon?"

Bolton said the unprovoked Hizb'allah assault on northern Israel on July 12 legitimized any action Israel deemed necessary in the defense of its citizens, and insisted America would reacted no differently to such a threat against its people.

White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten made similar remarks on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Bolten noted that in accordance with the US-Israeli alliance, an attack on the Jewish state is seen as an attack on America.

"We are allies, and we will support Israel in its right to self-defense."

He stressed that Washington remained committed to achieving a ceasefire, but only after the root cause of the current flare-up was taken care of.

"The purpose is to maintain a sustainable ceasefire. It's sustainable only if we get to the root problem, which is Hezbollah, a terrorist organization."

Like the article?
Help spread the word:
Jnewswire updates
Never miss another story
  • Inbox already too full?
    Subscribe to our
    RSS feed instead!