America’s Secretary of Defense warns Israel… and Lindsey Graham attacks him

(CNN) – US Senator Lindsey Graham rejected Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s warnings that more civilian casualties in Gaza could lead to the emergence of more insurgents and traded “tactical victory for strategic defeat.”

The Republican senator went on to call Austin “unconvincing,” saying he has “lost all confidence” in him.

During his statements to CNN, Lindsey Graham asked: “Will strategic defeat inflame the Palestinians? They are already inflamed. They have learned from birth to hate Jews and kill them,” calling on Austin to “stop criticizing Israel publicly,” he said.

Graham said: “Secretary Austin is telling Israel things that are impossible to achieve. Secretary Austin, the reason the Palestinians are dying: Gaza is too dense, and Hamas has tunnels under apartments, under schools, and under hospitals.”

Graham added that he understood the theory that retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal called “insurgent calculus,” the idea that collateral civilian deaths in war can be a catalyst for the creation of insurgents, but he said Gazans “have been radicalized for decades,” he said.

“Do you know what they teach in schools? The idea that we or Israel are somehow[radicalizing]people in Gaza is ridiculous,” Graham asked.

Graham also criticized US Vice President Kamala Harris’ statement on Saturday, after she said on the sidelines of the Climate Conference of the Parties in Dubai on Saturday that “a very large number of innocent Palestinians have been killed.”

“Vice President Harris, tell Israel how to destroy Hamas in a way that doesn’t hurt innocent Palestinians, and I’ll pass it on to you,” Graham said. “And by the way, no Republican believes that. No Republican is asking Israel to change its military tactics.”

Meanwhile, the Republican senator said he would not vote for a bill to aid Israel and Ukraine if the US immigration restrictions he and his GOP colleagues have championed are not included in the proposed legislation.

He added: “I think there are votes for Israel apart from the package (i.e. the bill). Republicans support Israel overwhelmingly – and so do most Democrats. Republicans are divided on Ukraine.”