According to John Spencer, the West Point professor of urban warfare, who has been studying the war in Gaza since its inception, a set of rules is applied by the world to Israel that no other combatant has had to endure. More of his observations can be found here: “What Are Israel’s Choices in Gaza? The Insanity of Double Standards and Uninformed Analysis.” John Spencer, August 1, 2025:
…Here are just some of the double standards, though not all, because there are many more, reserved only for Israel when it comes to what a nation can or cannot do in war, and how wars are assessed:
· A neighboring country refusing to allow civilians to evacuate combat areas, thus forcing Israel to fight Hamas while it uses its entire population and infrastructure as a human shield. This is a double standard with no historical comparison.
· Measuring legal adherence to the laws of war by citing daily casualty counts from the enemy force, which is an internationally designated terrorist organization. Many also use other data points, often manipulated or misapplied, to make faulty comparisons to dissimilar conflicts. The purpose is to politically and socially delegitimize Israel’s goals. This is also known as effects-based condemnation. In this framework, no matter what Israel does to prevent civilian harm, or what Hamas does to increase it, only the effects, often reported through manipulated or false data, are judged. This is not how war is assessed for any other nation. This is not how the laws of war apply to any other military. It is a double standard.
· Demanding a postwar day-after plan before the enemy military and government are defeated. The idea that an attacking military must present a plan for replacement governance before the opposing force has been defeated through force or surrender is a double standard. Victory and defeat must come first. Replacement comes after, not before.
· Providing humanitarian aid to the enemy’s population during wartime, while battles are ongoing, while the enemy still controls territory, continues to launch attacks, and holds hostages. Israel has done this out of moral responsibility and to balance military objectives with humanitarian imperatives. However, the argument that this is a legal requirement is a double standard.
· Dictating which legal tools a nation may use to fight an enemy. For example, criticizing the use of large-diameter munitions in an urban area, such as a 2,000-pound bomb, even when the enemy is embedded in dense urban terrain and operating from fortified underground tunnels that require deep penetration. This is a lawful and necessary capability in many conflicts. Yet when Israel uses it, it is singled out. That is a double standard.
· Claiming that there can be no population displacement or border change during or after an armed conflict. The idea that a terrorist army directed by the government of Hamas can cross a sovereign border, invade a country, commit atrocities, take hundreds of hostages, and that in the war that follows there must be no voluntary or temporary displacement of civilians, or any change to border control or security arrangements, is a double standard. The laws of war prohibit forced displacement, not temporary or voluntary displacement during wartime.
· Not allowing civilians the option to escape the war. Preventing civilians who want to leave Gaza from doing so is an unprecedented double standard. It affects both Israel and the people of Gaza.
· Tying a nation’s legitimate war goals to an unrelated political issue. Despite the clear context of this war, the attacked country is pressured to make concessions to a separate political entity that has rejected international mediation. Forcing Israel to link the war in Gaza, which it did not start, to the broader political effort of creating a Palestinian state with a different governing group, the Palestinian Authority, is a double standard….
Why is it that Israel is being held by the world to such standards of warfighting that have never been demanded of any other combatant in modern military history? You know the answer to that. It’s because Israel is the Jewish state.
Wellington says
Indeed. What a hypocrite so much of the world is. Long live Israel.
Ron M says
100%
OLD GUY says
Why isn’t the media and UN blasting Russia for killing Ukrainians? Or the genocide in Nigeria and India.
If you think the media is bad now, just wait until AI starts producing the stories in the news.
MJ Raichyk, PhD says
Well, my experience with google-gemini and X-grok was more equitably oriented than the media it shifted through…
And in this worrying about IDF performance totally — which so far Spencer has certified as excellent, I think we’re missing a crucial factor that MADE Israel damn DEFENSELESS on Oct7th…
Namely that IDF troops are NOT receiving DECENT CARE for PTSD… because the unresolved PTSD meant they had to LOCK the RESERVISTS WEAPONS in their Armories in order to PREVENT SUICIDES…. AND YET…. they still have a SUICIDE PROBLEM even with guns locked in….
The pharmaceuticals don’t work.
We should be more concerned about the damage to IDF troops and reservists who clearly carry the injuries of PTSD from the in-built horrors of urban warfare… They need the same food-supplement regimen WW2 troops from Canada used for POWs and PTSD successfully
http://www.cighe.net/ResearchLibrary/VFW-version%20VeteransPath%20for%20FreedomfromPTSD%20naturally.pdf
Specifically hi-dosing regimen of vit B3 an C…
Whom do we contact in Israel ?
TTYL
somehistory says
The Book of Genesis points out very early on that the children of God would have continual enmity with the children who choose satan the devil as their ‘god.’.
No matter how nice, kind, generous, hospitable, or moral Israel has been or tries to be, there are those who hate and wish to destroy the Jews. God said this would be so. And it is.
All who take the side of those working to destroy Israel and murder all of the Jews, show whom they claim as their “father” and follow as their ‘god.’
James Lincoln says
Israel and its IDF needs to ignore horrifically biased public opinion – and do whatever it needs to do in order to survive as a nation.
Trepova says
MK Akram Hasson on Sharaa: ‘How can you accept a killer’ as president?
The veteran politician says American efforts to normalize relations with Ahmed al-Sharaa risk legitimizing a man with a history of mass killings
Former MK Akram Hasson attends a replacing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024.
Former MK Akram Hasson attends a replacing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024.
(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
ByFELICE FRIEDSON/THE MEDIA LINE
AUGUST 6, 2025 19:46
Updated: AUGUST 6, 2025 19:49
MK Akram Hasson, an Israeli Druze politician and veteran member of the Knesset, sounded the alarm on what he views as an existential threat to the Druze community, Israel, and the broader region.
Hasson—currently a member of the New Hope party and formerly the head of Kadima, where he made history as the first Druze to lead a Jewish party—outlined his concerns about developments in Syria, the rise of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), and what he views as misguided US policy in the region.
Hasson, who was born in the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel, began by stressing the central role the Druze have played in Syria’s history.
“The Druze in Syria, they are the largest Druze community in the region—around 800,000. We have 152,000 in Israel and about 220,000 in Lebanon,” he explained. “The Druze are Syrian. They helped the Syrian people gain independence in 1925, when they fought the French army. They gave their blood for the state.”
However, Hasson said that the situation changed dramatically under the Assad regime, prompting many Druze to refuse military service to avoid becoming complicit in civilian killings. “They refused to serve in the army—not to be killers.”
Israeli Druze Akram Hasson attends a campaign event for the new centre-right ”National Unity Party”, or Hamahane Hamamlachti in Hebrew, in the Druze village of Hurfeish in northern Israel on October 11, 2022. – Israel’s November 1 election will be its fifth vote in less than four years.
Israeli Druze Akram Hasson attends a campaign event for the new centre-right ”National Unity Party”, or Hamahane Hamamlachti in Hebrew, in the Druze village of Hurfeish in northern Israel on October 11, 2022. – Israel’s November 1 election will be its fifth vote in less than four years.
But the real turning point, Hasson said, was the emergence of Sharaa, a former commander of Jabhat al-Nusra and an internationally designated terrorist.
“I was worried from the beginning because I know this man,” Hasson said. “He was a killer with blood on his hands. He was the head of Jabhat al-Nusra, a big terror organization. He operated in Iraq—we know exactly what he did. Then he returned to Lebanon, and now he comes to Syria and wants to be president. It’s a dirty game.”
Hasson expressed disbelief that anyone could accept Sharaa as a legitimate leader: “How can you accept a killer, a man who belonged to a terror organization, to become president? The US offered $10 million to catch him or bring his head.”
When asked whether the US was “playing with fire” by attempting to normalize Sharaa, Hasson did not mince words. “He will be [a terrorist]. When someone is born a terrorist, he will continue. He will not be democratic.”
Hasson cited Sharaa’s violent actions against minorities—including the Alawites, Yazidis, Druze, and Kurds—as proof. “He tells them, ‘Bring your weapons, be part of Syria,’ and two days later, he kills thousands. He did the same with the Druze. In the future, he will do the same to the Kurds.”
He warned that Sharaa was not acting alone but had the backing of foreign fighters from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, who were being paid to “kill Syrian citizens.” According to Hasson, Sharaa’s rise threatens not only the Druze but also Israel.
“The army, the prime minister, the foreign minister—they all support us,” Hasson said. “Because they know these people will come to Israel, armed, and try to kill civilians, just like Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. You cannot believe these people.”
Trump’s efforts are misguided in the Syrian context
Turning to American policy, Hasson acknowledged that the US, particularly under President Donald Trump, has been a friend to Israel. But he said Trump’s efforts to broker peace in the region through business-focused diplomacy, like the Abraham Accords, are misguided in the Syrian context.
He said that Trump wants peace with Syria and Lebanon to pave the way for Saudi Arabia. But he doesn’t understand how things work in the Middle East. Hasson said. “The only democratic country in the Middle East is Israel. … There is terror everywhere [else].”
He said peace with Syria under Sharaa is impossible unless the leader includes minorities and conducts democratic elections. “Not to kill minorities and destroy cities. You can’t do peace with terror.”
Hasson further criticized Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey for funding and arming Sharaa’s forces. “They give weapons. We see it every day. We’re in the same army in Israel. We hear from our brothers what’s happening; women and children being killed.”
Syria conflict has deeper roots
The media has tended to portray the violence in Syria as a tribal feud, but Hasson said the conflict has deeper roots.
“There’s been tension for 100 years, but now the president gives weapons to the Bedouin to destroy Druze villages like As-Suwayda,” Hasson said. “It’s all part of the game.”
In his view, the solution is clear: “We cannot trust this man. … We must kill this terrible terrorist. And we must destroy his government because they are not Syrian.”
Hasson accused Sharaa of aiming to expand his influence beyond Syria. “He said, ‘We will meet in Jerusalem.’ For what? To have peace?” He added, “We know these people that they have only one way. If you will believe in the Islamic Jihad, in his way and his thinking, you are okay. If you belong to another minority, to another religion, you are against him.”
When asked about reports that the Syrian government had begun removing Bedouin from Druze areas, Hasson said it was a ploy.
“He’s trying to give another picture to America and Israel” that he removed the Bedouin. “But we don’t believe him because just this morning, they bombed our villages in Syria.”
Hasson pointed to Turkey’s role in supplying weapons and pledged to take the issue to international courts. “We’re going to the United Nations with our ambassador, Danny Danon. We will be in the higher court in Holland [the International Criminal Court in The Hague] with all the evidence.”
He concluded the topic of Syria with a bleak prediction: “There’s no peace or future for the Druze in Syria. I ask Israel to take all the area of the Druze from As-Suwayda till Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.”
Hasson also said he hopes the Kurds—who control large areas in Syria and have experience fighting Turkey—can be part of a future solution. But he warned that Turkey, under President Erdoğan, poses its own threat.
“Erdoğan killed hundreds of thousands of Kurds in Turkey, and he told everyone he is democratic.” Hasson pointed out that Erdoğan even jailed the mayor of Istanbul and is becoming “even more [of a] fanatic.”
He decried the fact that there were no leaders in the region standing with Israel.
Wearing a yellow pin in solidarity with the hostages, Hasson responded with profound emotion when discussing the captives still held in Gaza and the ongoing war.
“We lost our best Druze officers in Gaza. Colonel Ehsan Daksa from my city gave his life.” Regarding bringing the hostages back, Hasson said, “We’ll give our blood” for their return. “It’s humanity.”
Hasson contrasted Israel’s values with those of Hamas. “We believe one soldier’s life means everything. … They have 6,000 Hamas members in our prisons,” and yet, “Nobody [among Hamas] asks about them.”
He acknowledged ongoing negotiations involving the US, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, but warned: “No one in our government can accept a future where Hamas continues to rule Gaza.”
“We’re dealing with the largest terror force in the region,” Hasson said. “They don’t believe in God. They don’t believe in life.”
Paul says
Make of it whatever you want, but here is a video of all the aid stacked up for the UN to come pass it out
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1w4fCrkPalo&pp=ygUMSWRmIHNvbGRpZXIg0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD
I think it’s fair to ask questions about the “starvation” then it’s got to be fair to ask questions about this stacked up aid.
True answer is Hamas will pillage the UN truck, and everyone knows it.
gravenimage says
Yep…
gravenimage says
The Rules That Apply Only to Israel
……………………………………..
No other nation is expected to feed, supply energy and water and medical care for those trying to destroy her. Insanty.