U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin denied Israel is committing genocide in Gaza on Tuesday when pressed on the matter by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
Israel’s military has come under attack from its regional neighbors, as well as far-left protesters across the globe, for its response and its ongoing war against Islamic terrorism.
Hamas planned and executed the deadliest terror attacks in Israel’s history on Oct. 7 last year.
Those attacks left more than 1,200 Israeli civilians dead.
As part of the ongoing campaign to destroy the group, the Israeli Defense Forces have spent months targeting Hamas — which is known for using civilians as human shields.
Many non-combatants have been killed in the urban fighting.
The response and collateral damage on the battlefield have led to accusations that Israel, U.S. leadership and the Pentagon are all responsible for what has been called a genocide in the Gaza Strip.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Reuters reported, Austin was asked by Cotton, “Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?”
.@SenTomCotton: “Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?” @SecDef Austin: “We don’t have any evidence of genocide.” pic.twitter.com/7T2ToKyI0X
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Austin replied, “Senator Cotton, I — we don’t have any evidence of genocide.”
Cotton responded, “So that’s a no. Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza?”
“We don’t have evidence of that,” Austin affirmed.
The Arkansas Republican then reminded Austin that an element of anti-Semitic protesters are currently blaming him personally for what is claimed to be the systemic killing of Palestinians.
Cotton asked Austin directly if he would like to address those protesters.
Austin said, “We committed to help assist Israel in defending its territory and its people by providing security assistance.”
Austin concluded he personally believed the Oct. 7 attacks were “absolutely horrible.”
Cotton then pressed Austin as to whether he would address people who are accusing him of helping to kill innocent people.
“So, you deny the accusation that you greenlit genocide?” Cotton asked.
“I absolutely deny it,” Austin responded.
As Newsweek noted, Austin’s home was the target of a massive protest by anti-Israeli protesters on Christmas Day.
