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The Big Lies about Israel's Big Bombs: How Media Created a Fictional "War-Crime' Narrative

(Commentary) David Adesnik and Mark Montgomery - How does one wage a less destructive war when facing an enemy that has spent more than a decade building tunnels underneath densely populated areas, turning whole neighborhoods into human shields? A growing contingent of journalists believes Israel must stop using 2,000-pound bombs in Gaza and shift to smaller, less powerful munitions. Investigations by CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times all make the case that employing such large bombs in dense urban environments is inherently reckless, even criminal. Yet the military analysis that informs this conclusion is amateurish, placing inordinate emphasis on the potential of 2,000-pound bombs to inflict grave harm on people and buildings far from the point of impact. This ignores how a well-trained air force can limit such harm by fusing a bomb to detonate below ground, as well as adjusting factors such as the angle and velocity of its delivery. Moreover, Hamas has spent a decade constructing a tunnel network that is more extensive, built tougher, and buried deeper than those of other insurgent forces. Ignoring this key fact, the critics ask why Israel needs to use 2,000-pound bombs. Finally, the critics shy away from observing that Hamas has embedded its military infrastructure directly under homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques. This is a war crime, plain and simple, yet the media's emphasis remains on Israel's alleged culpability, with no reference to the original sin of locating military infrastructure in prohibited spaces. Unquestionably, the war has inflicted unprecedented suffering on the people of Gaza. Yet that is part of Hamas' plan. David Adesnik is a senior fellow and director of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery (ret.) is a senior fellow and senior director of the Center for Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD.
2024-04-02 00:00:00
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