US memo warns 'Israel' of reputational damage due to war on Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: NPR + Al Mayadeen English
24 Mar 2024 12:24
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A State Department memo reveals a US official's discussion with Israeli officials, emphasizing a "major credibility problem" for both the US and "Israel" resulting from the "unpopular" Gaza war.

Palestinian child wounded in Israeli airstrike on his home is treated in a hospital in Deir al-Balah, south of the Gaza Strip, on October 27, 2023. (AP)

As more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in just 170 days, the Biden administration is concerned - not about the unbearable civilian toll in Gaza - but that "Israel's" ongoing atrocities may result in "major, possibly generational damage" to its global reputation, which could be a "major strategic error," NPR reported citing a State Department memo.

Assistant Secretary of State Bill Russo, responsible for global public affairs at the State Department, conveyed to Israeli Foreign Ministry officials in a call on March 13 that both the United States and "Israel" confront a "major credibility problem" due to the "unpopular" Israeli war on Gaza, as outlined in a US summary of the discussion.

"Shame on you," pro-#Palestine protesters repeated outside US Senator Gary Peters' house in Michigan, chanting against the genocide that the US is funding in Gaza.

Senator Gary Peters voted to pass legislation that provides aid to "Israel" in mid-February, sending billions of… pic.twitter.com/PvrshwEVvM
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 24, 2024

"The Israelis seemed oblivious to the fact that they are facing major, possibly generational damage to their reputation not just in the region but elsewhere in the world," the memo read. "We are concerned that the Israelis are missing the forest for the trees and are making a major strategic error in writing off their reputation damage."

This comes as the invading Israeli forces persist in threatening and targeting Palestinians in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital for the seventh consecutive day, amid reports of Palestinian women being sexually assaulted and subsequently killed.

The general director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, stated that the IOF killed more than 100 people inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, stressing that they also executed medical personnel inside the complex.

Al-Thawabta added that 5 patients were… pic.twitter.com/Ednzol1hj9
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 23, 2024

Regarding the Israeli invasion of Rafah, a former ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer affirmed on Thursday that “it will happen even if Israel is forced to fight alone. Even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States, we’re going to fight until the battle’s won.”

“And that’s why the determination to take them out is so strong, even if it leads to a potential breach with the United States,” he added.

In further detail, the State Department memo urged Israeli officials to address the issue "at the highest levels," as per the report.

The significant disparities in perspectives underscore a "widening rift" between "Israel" and its principal ally. Meanwhile, Palestinians, including children, endure relentless airstrikes, widespread forced displacement, forced disappearance, executions, sexual assault, and severe food shortages.

Tensions reportedly escalated further on Friday during a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in "Tel Aviv". Blinken cautioned Netanyahu against initiating an invasion in Rafah.

"It risks killing more civilians, it risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance, it risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing," Blinken said.

In the same context, a report by Axios on Friday revealed that US Secretary of State Blinken privately warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet that "Israel's" existence is in peril and that they "might not realize it until it's too late," a source familiar with the meeting quoted Blinken as saying.

The source told Axios that during the meeting, Blinken stressed the urgency of devising a coherent strategy for the post-war period in Gaza. Without such a plan, he warned, "Israel" could face a formidable insurgency that it would struggle to contain.

Israeli Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General Emmanuel Nahshon contested the US evaluation that "Israel's" international reputation had suffered, NPR reported a week ago, citing an official memo.

Nahshon cited public opinion polls indicating a "silent majority" in the United States and Europe still supporting "Israel". Nahshon attributed the shift in sentiment among young people against "Israel" to TikTok's algorithm, which he claimed favors pro-Palestinian content.

Read next: Algorithm isn't biased; users are overwhelmingly Pro-Palestine: TikTok

The Israeli government has reached out to influencers to assist in engaging social media users in the United States and Europe to whitewash its atrocities in Gaza. Additionally, "Israel" intends to launch a comparable social media campaign soon in Egypt, Jordan, and Gulf Arab countries, NPR reported, citing the same memo.

For 170 days now, the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza persists, and the atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation forces during this war are unprecedented. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, with over 13,000 of them children. Others are facing mass arrests, executions, and sexual assaults. The most immoral army has perpetrated these acts, all live-streamed to the world hour by hour, with even their atrocities documented.

The US has openly supported "Israel", sending billions of dollars of weapons in the past few months. Now, the US is concerned about the Israeli occupation's "reputation".

🚨🇮🇱 Candace Owens derangement syndrome. pic.twitter.com/UXceplzDym
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) March 24, 2024

One thing is clear: no campaign, war propaganda, influencers, or anything else can cleanse the blood of thousands of Palestinians from the hands of the Israeli occupation and the US. The images being aired and the massacres and atrocities reported will not be erased from the living memory of the free people all over the world.