US senator Lindsey Graham urges Israel to bomb Gaza like Hiroshima

7 months ago
21

Israel must do whatever needs to be done to win its “existential” war with Hamas, just like the US was “justified” to drop nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed.
The Israeli military is facing increasing international scrutiny as its military operation in Gaza enters its eighth month, claiming the lives of more than 35,000 Palestinians. However, Graham argued in an interview with NBC News that Hamas is to blame for the bulk of civilian casualties, and urged Israel to continue fighting until a decisive victory is achieved, no matter the cost.
“When we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima, Nagasaki, with nuclear weapons,” Graham stated.
“So, Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do,” he added.
While Graham did not call for the use of actual nuclear weapons in Gaza, he made a similar controversial comparison during a subcommittee hearing earlier in the week, referring to Israel’s war with Hamas as “Hiroshima and Nagasaki on steroids.”
The White House recently suspended the supply of some larger-payload bombs that Israel could use in its new offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, outraging the Jewish state’s staunch supporters.
“Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose, and work with them to minimize casualties,” Graham said.
But the United States, trying to prevent a large-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah, is offering Tel Aviv secret intelligence. In particular, it will help the İsrael locate Hamas leaders and find the group's hidden tunnels, according to The Washington Post.
The US has also offered to help provide thousands of shelters so that Israel can build tent cities, as well as help build food, water and medical delivery systems so that Palestinians evacuated from Rafah can have a habitable place to live, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid revealing the secrecy of diplomatic negotiations.
US President Joe Biden and his senior aides have been making similar proposals over the past few weeks, hoping they would persuade Israel to conduct a more limited and targeted operation in the southern Gaza city. Israel has promised to enter Rafah with "extreme force."
Administration officials, including experts from the US Agency for International Development, have told Israel that it will take several months to safely relocate the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians currently living in dilapidated and unsanitary conditions in Rafah. Israeli officials disagree with this assessment.

Loading comments...