Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin fielded a lot of questions during a recent hearing about Israel's War with Hamas and whether it had committed possible war crimes. Based on that, WWL's Newell Normand had a question. Is there evidence of genocide?
Austin said "no," there's no evidence that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
But a lot of people don't seem to believe it and because of that, we are having pro-Palestine rallies in parts of the U.S. where people are shouting 'Death to America.' Some people believe America is a horrible country for standing side by side with Israel after a horrific attack by Hamas. Every singular piece of criminal conduct that protesters exhibit should be prosecuted, he added.
We can't just "sit back and say everything's hunky dory," Normand said. "They don't have a legitimate reason to disrupt our way of life."
And Joe Biden's Administration isn't making it any easier by sending mixed messages. And they're sending mixed messages because they're essentially holding a finger in the air and going whichever way the wind blows, Normand said.
The U.S. never knows where it leaders will be on the issue day to day, he added. But the truth is that Hamas still wants Israelis to die, even while people call for Israel to sit at a negotiation table with them, he said.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza of Health Ministry, more than 33,000 people have died during the conflict and more than 75,000 have been injured.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., had asked Austin whether Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 should be considered an act of genocide.
“What we witnessed on Oct. 7, senator, was a horrific terrorist attack by Hamas,” Austin said, adding that it “certainly is a war crime.”