Obama, State Dept Hit With ‘Double Standards’ Accusation Over Iraq, Syria Civilian Casualties

Last summer, as Hamas was raining rockets on Israeli civilians, storing munitions in civilian buildings, and firing rockets from mosques, schools, and clinics, the Obama administration went out of its way to say  that it was “appalled” by Israeli attacks that unintentionally killed civilians, even calling them “disgraceful.”

As President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, a storm is brewing over the growing realization that the US administration is publicly  holding the IDF to higher standards than it does the the US military.  

 These  double standards apply to civilian casualties incurred during the current US bombing campaign against the Islamic State terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria. They are drawing  sharp responses from a number prominent Middle East analysts. 

“The United States should expect no more from Israel than it expects of itself,”said  Michael Doran,  a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. “The speed with which the Obama administration lifted restrictions from itself was equalled only by the speed with which it demanded that Israel place restrictions on itself,” Doran added.

Writing in the National Review, pundit David French observed : “I applaud the administration for loosening its absurd rules of engagement. When an enemy hides among civilians, the resulting civilian deaths are the enemy’s moral and legal responsibility, not ours,” French wrote, in a clear allusion to the fighting tactics adopted by Hamas in Gaza. “Yet I can’t help but notice the double standard. If Israel’s acts of self-defense are ‘disgraceful,’ then how does the administration describe our own strikes?”

Another commentator noted: 'This is nothing new. The US and its allies have always been much more cavalier about civilian deaths than the IDF. 100,000 civilians were killed in the last Iraq war. The US carpet-bombed Vietnam, Dresden and Iraq and nuked two Japanese cities. Every powerful nation has used “disproportionate” force on its foes. Italy bombed Ethiopians who were throwing spears during WWII."

 A fourth noted: "We can beat ISIS but America Israel and the free world cannot survive a Nuclear Armed Iran .A Nuclear Holocaust is the ultimate nightmare, the ultimate threat to our survival, Iran is constructing the ultimate killing machine. ISIS is a diversion. Iran is our major threat."