MONDAY 11/6/23

UPDATE: Israel’s targeting process is “shrouded” in mystery, even as Gaza’s death toll “soars” toward 10,000, The Washington Post reports Monday. Israeli officials “insist that each strike is subject to legal approval, experts say the rules of engagement, which are classified, appears to include a higher threshold for civilian casualties than in previous levels of fighting.” [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/05/israel-strike-targets-gaza-civilians-hamas/] (Subscription required.)

Note: Reporters are not allowed to enter Gaza during the war.

Last Friday in Israel and then again on Saturday in Jordan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters he had advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to take “concrete steps” to minimize civilian deaths in Israel’s counter-attack against Hamas in Gaza, The New York Times reported Sunday. Chief among the recommendations is that Israel revert to smaller bombs that weigh 250 pounds rather than the 1,000- to 2,000-pound bombs that have been used to target Hamas fighters and collapse their underground tunnels, amidst a dense civilian population. 

Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which more than 1,400 people were killed and more than 240 were taken hostage, has been widely condemned. But the health ministry for Hamas-controlled Gaza reports that more than 9,400 people have been killed in Israel’s counterattack, according to the Times, and the counterattack has drawn severe criticism and sympathy for Palestinian civilians, many of whom are seen as having had Hamas forced upon them. 

The Israel Defense Force’s response has led to multiple protests around the world, including from liberal Jews long opposed to Netanyahu’s rule and his hard-line stance preventing movement toward the “two-state solution” that would produce a Palestinian homeland in the region.

Meanwhile, a surge in anti-Semitic attacks and vandalism complicates the anti-Netanyahu arguments. As of this writing, the Israeli Defense Force under Netanyahu shows no sign of slowing up. After 75 years of failed treaties and agreements, even prospects for a short-term cease-fire appear elusive.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa