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Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q Brown. Photo/CNN
TOKYO – A quicker resolution to fighting in the Gaza Strip could help limit civil strife that might encourage people to join Palestinian militant groups. This was stated by the main military advisor to the President of the United States (US) Joe Biden.
General Charles Q Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the goal of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza – the complete destruction of the Hamas militant group that controls the territory – was a tall order.
But he also said Israel was focused on targeting senior Hamas leaders, which might have been achieved more quickly.
“I think the longer this goes on, the more difficult it will be,” Brown told reporters before arriving in Japan, in his first detailed statement on the months-long conflict as reported by Channel News Asia, Thursday (9/11/ 2023).
Brown, who took office as the top US military officer a month ago, expressed confidence that Israel was complying with the laws of war in Gaza.
He also said there was room for the Israeli military to improve its public explanation of its actions, and that he had conveyed this to his Israeli counterpart.
“There’s room for improvement based on what we’re seeing,” Brown said.
“What I talked to him about was how do we show – not just through the video but also when they talk about the attacks – why they carried out the attacks in certain locations, giving more context to the attacks,” he added.
When asked whether he was concerned that the high number of Palestinian civilian deaths could encourage people to join militant groups, Brown said: “Yes, very much so. And I think that’s something we have to pay attention to.”