Top US official warns against heavy-handed response

While emphasizing Israel’s right to defend its citizens, the White House’s Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes warns that Israel should “be precise” and avoid an overly “heavy-handed” response that could further destabilize the situation between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Our hearts go out to the families of the three teenagers who were found yesterday,” Rhodes tells members of Washington’s foreign press corps during a rare question-and-answer session. “We want to continue to support Israel in finding the perpetrators and bringing them to justice,” he says, adding that “we believe that this is done effectively through working with the Palestinian Authority.”

Rhodes also says that “there has to be an avoidance of steps that can further inflame tensions,” without initially specifying which actors – Israel, Hamas, or the Palestinian Authority’s technocratic government – must do so.

When pressed on Israel’s response to the kidnappings, murders, and continuing rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, Rhodes warns that “Israel needs to be very careful not to be so heavy-handed in their response that they are not threatening the stability of the situation and must respect the dignity of the Palestinian people.”

Rhodes said that “generally, Israel should be precise and they should not cast a net that harms innocent Palestinians in their actions.” In recent days, Israel has faced some international criticism for the rounds of West Bank arrests in which over 400 Palestinians were detained.

— Rebecca Shimoni Stoil