Adam Taylor at the Washington Post flags an almost unbelievably inappropriate statement made by Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor in response to the government of Brazil’s criticism over what it called the “disproportionate use of force” in Gaza:
“Israel’s response is perfectly proportioned in accordance with international law,” Palmor said in an interview with the Jornal Nacional TV show late Thursday. “This is not football. In football, when a game ends in a draw, you think it is proportional, but when it finishes 7-1 it’s disproportionate. Sorry to say, but not so in real life and under international law.”
A timely reference! To explain: Jornal Nacional is a Brazilian news program. Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany in the World Cup, an embarrassing loss. Palmor’s logic, such as it is, appears to be that there is no such thing as running up the score in war so long as you are justified in attacking to begin with. In the “game” between Israel and Hamas, 836 “goals” (people) have “been scored” (died).
