Matthew Miller, the current spokesman for the U.S. State Department, recently made headlines after condemning Israel’s indiscriminate military assault in Gaza. He claimed that the country could be guilty of war crimes in the course of these operations. His remarks come amid the current hostilities between Israel and Hamas. In this polarized environment, both sides are being held to a high standard with regard to action and reaction.
Israel’s leadership has categorically denied these charges. They claim that their military actions constitute legitimate self-defense against Hamas, which they claim uses civilian populations as human shields. The Israeli government argues that it goes to extraordinary efforts to avoid civilian casualties in its military offensives.
Allegations of War Crimes and Civilian Impact
This makes it all the more striking that in recent months, Israel has faced unprecedented criticism for its military strategy. The government contends its operations are defensive in nature, intended to neutralize terrorist threats. What Miller’s comments indicate is a fundamental change in the story being told about the morality of those actions.
“I don’t think it’s a genocide, but I think it is without a doubt true that Israel has committed war crimes.” – Matthew Miller
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. These warrants are the result of charges for crimes against humanity and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Critics, including humanitarian groups, have condemned these moves for deepening the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
In the face of these accusations, Israel continues to assert that it is carrying out operations in such a way as to minimize civilian casualties. This has been the narrative from Israeli officials, who say that Hamas’s tactics are responsible for the confusion. They blame the militant group for stealing humanitarian aid and endangering civilians with their operations.
Ceasefire Efforts and Diplomatic Challenges
Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s proposal in May, which was partially implemented in January of this year, fell far short. Despite the ceasefire, Israel returned to a policy of punitive air strikes in Gaza in early March, provoking escalating retaliation from Hamas. Miller pointed out that the U.S. government was looking far beyond a simple purchase, with many actors in play during the negotiations.
“Now, it’s difficult — Israel was not the only … party to this negotiation. You saw Hamas repeatedly move the goalposts.” – Matthew Miller
Miller stressed that conflict Israeli and Hamas leadership had a hand in extending the conflict. He acknowledged that the U.S. had lost opportunities to push Israel to accept a ceasefire earlier. He thinks that with stronger pressure, things might have gone differently.
“But you saw Netanyahu move the goalposts as well, and I do think there were times when we should have been tougher on him.” – Matthew Miller
This perspective reflects a growing sentiment among some U.S. officials that stronger diplomatic measures could have led to a more favorable outcome for peace negotiations.
Public Reaction and Accountability Concerns
Miller’s remarks have understandably produced a furious public outcry. Pro-Palestinian protesters have been mobilizing outside his home pressuring him to end U.S. support for Israel. Each of these criticisms points to a larger discussion about the future role of accountability for actions taken during this war.
As a federally-designated spokesman, Miller has to put the federal government’s best foot forward. He stressed that this priority sometimes requires him to put aside his own convictions. He began by recognizing the complexities of the issue at hand, but reiterated his promise to aggressively review and question U.S. policy toward Israel.
“Yeah, look, because when you’re at the podium, you’re not expressing your personal opinion. You’re expressing the conclusions of the United States government.” – Matthew Miller
