{"id":246908,"date":"2023-10-30T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=246908"},"modified":"2023-10-26T05:39:29","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T04:39:29","slug":"white-house-says-continued-civilian-slaughter-is-going-to-happen-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/10\/white-house-says-continued-civilian-slaughter-is-going-to-happen-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"White House Says Continued Civilian Slaughter \u201cIs Going to Happen\u201d in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>26 Oct 2023 &#8211; <em>White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the press on Tuesday [24 Oct] that the continued killing of civilians in Israel\u2019s bombing campaign in Gaza \u201cis going to happen\u201d. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?531353-1\/white-house-daily-briefing\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told the press<\/a> on Tuesday that the continued killing of civilians in Israel\u2019s bombing campaign in Gaza \u201cis going to happen\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is war,\u201d said Kirby. \u201cIt is combat. It is bloody, ugly and it\u2019s going to be messy, and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward. I wish I could tell you something different\u200a\u2014\u200aI wish that wasn\u2019t gonna happen, but it is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that doesn\u2019t make it right,\u201d Kirby added. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make it dismissible. It doesn\u2019t mean that we aren\u2019t going to express concerns about that and do everything we can to help the Israelis do everything they can to minimize it. But that\u2019s unfortunately the nature of conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oh okay well as long as you\u2019re going to \u201cexpress concerns\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TNBdFdFjxTI?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The information interests of Israel and its western allies have been greatly served by framing this onslaught as a \u201cwar\u201d, when that label doesn\u2019t actually apply here. A war is when two nations or groups are in a state of armed combat with each other; one side may be more powerful than the other, but the combat is decidedly going two ways.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not what\u2019s happening here. Israel is raining high-tech military explosives upon civilian infrastructure inside a giant concentration camp <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/10\/25\/over-2000-children-killed-in-gaza-a-stain-on-our-collective-conscience#\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">densely populated with children<\/a>, and every now and then a militant in Gaza fires back a type of rocket that is essentially a glorified firework which historically <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel#Effects\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hardly ever kills anyone<\/a>. Israel is killing civilians <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/10\/25\/over-2000-children-killed-in-gaza-a-stain-on-our-collective-conscience#:~:text=Israel%27s%20army%20has%20since%20relentlessly,stain%20on%20our%20collective%20conscience.\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">by the thousands<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlanRMacLeod\/status\/1717130503743050073\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turning entire city blocks<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ASE\/status\/1716419084693148028\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rubble<\/a>, while Hamas and other resistance groups in Gaza are doing some light property damage in what amounts to a performative display of defiance.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not a war. That\u2019s a massacre.<\/p>\n<p>By calling this something that it isn\u2019t instead of what it is, Israel apologists are able to respond to all criticisms of its actions with a shrug and a \u201cThis is war, man. War is ugly, what can I tell ya?\u201d They wouldn\u2019t be able to do that if they were addressing this atrocity truthfully.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Netanyahu Says Monday Strikes on Gaza Were Hardest Yet<br \/>The Palestinian Health Ministry on Tuesday reported the highest death toll in a 24-hour period<br \/>by Dave DeCamp<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DecampDave?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@DecampDave<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Netanyahu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Netanyahu<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Gaza?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Gaza<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Palestine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Palestine<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Palestinians?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Palestinians<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Israel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#Israel<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EoeOcvIZjO\" >https:\/\/t.co\/EoeOcvIZjO<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZbAMDCMXCS\" >pic.twitter.com\/ZbAMDCMXCS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Antiwar.com (@Antiwarcom) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Antiwarcom\/status\/1716878964881568150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >October 24, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The only thing truthful about Kirby\u2019s framing was his statement that the slaughter of civilians is going to keep happening. The death toll from airstrikes in Gaza has <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/JuoPy#selection-2675.0-2675.41\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly surpassed 6,500<\/a>, with the 24-hour periods from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/10\/24\/more-than-700-killed-in-overnight-israeli-attacks-gaza-officials-say\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Monday to Tuesday<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/live-blog\/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna122056\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tuesday to Wednesday<\/a> both exceeding 700 deaths each. As Antiwar\u2019s Dave DeCamp <a href=\"https:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2023\/10\/24\/netanyahu-says-monday-strikes-on-gaza-were-hardest-yet\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notes<\/a>, this large escalation in deaths coincides with claims from Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel has escalated its bombing campaign.<\/p>\n<p>This is all being funded and supported by the United States, who has been ramping up its military presence in the middle east in some pretty disconcerting ways. Not one but <a href=\"https:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2023\/10\/15\/us-deploys-second-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-to-support-israel\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two US aircraft carrier strike groups<\/a> have been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean since the killing began, and the Pentagon has <a href=\"https:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2023\/10\/23\/pentagon-expects-significant-escalation-of-attacks-on-us-troops-over-gaza-war\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told the press<\/a> that it expects a \u201csignificant escalation\u201d in attacks on US troops in the middle east in response to Israel\u2019s relentless assault on Palestinian lives. US military advisers have been <a href=\"https:\/\/news.antiwar.com\/2023\/10\/23\/us-sends-military-advisors-to-israel-including-3-star-general\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sent to Israel<\/a> to help the IDF prepare for its ground invasion of Gaza, and as usual Australia is joining in the US warmongering by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defence.gov.au\/news-events\/news\/2023-10-25\/deploying-additional-support\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sending more troops<\/a> to the middle east as well.<\/p>\n<p>So we can expect a lot more killing in the near future, one way or the other. No meaningful pressure is being placed on Israel to stop butchering civilians, and an escalation into a broader war in the middle east is <a href=\"https:\/\/responsiblestatecraft.org\/biden-ceasefire-israel-gaza\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not at all outside the realm of possibility<\/a>. Things could be headed in a direction that makes a genocidal massacre look like sunny days in retrospect.<\/p>\n<p>________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Caitlin-Johnstone.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-236973\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Caitlin-Johnstone.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"56\" height=\"56\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 <em>Caitlin Johnstone is a rogue journalist, poet, and utopia prepper who publishes regularly\u00a0<\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@caityjohnstone\" ><em>at <\/em><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@caityjohnstone\" >Medium<\/a>. <em>Contact: <\/em><a href=\"..\/..\/..\/..\/TRANSCEND\/T%20M%20S\/TO%20POST\/A%20BYLINES\/admin@caitlinjohnstone.com\">admin@caitlinjohnstone.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/caitlinjohnstone.com.au\/2023\/10\/26\/white-house-says-continued-civilian-slaughter-is-going-to-happen-in-gaza\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 caitlinjohnstone.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>26 Oct 2023 &#8211; White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the press on Tuesday [24 Oct] that the continued killing of civilians in Israel\u2019s bombing campaign in Gaza \u201cis going to happen\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":246210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[1854,87,865,88,2416,427,70],"class_list":["post-246908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anglo-america","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-israel","tag-israeli-occupation","tag-palestine","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246909,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246908\/revisions\/246909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}