Israel

Crickets: Where is the Media on the JINSA Gaza Task Force Report?

| by Eliyahu Mintz
Gazan barrage on civilian Israel

JINSA, the Jewish Institute for National Security in America, recently released the results of their Gaza Task Force. The Gaza Task Force was created to investigate this past May’s attacks on Israel from Gaza, and Israel’s response. Jinsa’s task force has an impressive list of members, as cited by Elder of Ziyon:

  • LTG Robert Ashley, USA (ret.), Former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
  • LTG John M. Bednarek, USA (ret.), Former Senior Defense Official in Iraq; former Chief of Office of Security Cooperation in Baghdad
  • LTC Geoffrey S. Corn, USA (ret.) Former Chief International Law for U.S. Army Europe
  • Lt Gen Jon Davis, USMC (ret.) Former Deputy Commandant for Aviation
  • LTG Karen Gibson, USA (ret.) Former Deputy Director for National Intelligence for National Security Partnerships
  • LTG Stephen Lanza, USA (ret.) Former Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis McChord
  • RADM Brian Losey, USN (ret.) Former Commander of Naval Special Warfare Command
  • Lt Gen Richard Natonski, USMC (ret.) Former Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command
  • LTG Raymond Palumbo, USA (ret.) Former Deputy Commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command
  • GEN David Rodriguez, USA (ret.) Former Commander of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM)
  • Lt Gen Thomas Trask, USAF (ret.) Former Vice Commander of United States Special Operations Command
  • Gen Charles Wald, USAF (ret.) Former Deputy Commander of United States European Command (EUCOM)

The JINSA report was issued in October. But there has been almost no media coverage of the report and its findings. Perhaps that is because the JINSA report exonerates Israel and clearly names the aggressor as Hamas, as detailed in an op-ed that appeared in the New York Post:

In its conflict with Hamas in May, Israel endured a barrage of rockets — as well as war-crime accusations. Iron Dome intercepted most of the former. The latter are more dangerous, for Israel and even the United States.

After reviewing the Israeli Defense Forces’ operations during the Gaza conflict as retired senior US military officers, we find these accusations spurious — fed by Hamas’ disinformation and a widespread misunderstanding of the Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC. These dynamics could soon feature in conflicts involving the US military.

Delegitimizing Israeli operations — not military victory — was one of Hamas’ main objectives in this conflict. “The real crimes,” Hamas’ spokesperson told the media, “were committed by [Israel] targeting civilians … killing more than 100 children and women and demolishing buildings.”

With such false claims, Hamas casts any civilian casualty as illegal. Unfortunately, many in the media and public embraced this false narrative.