Moulton Op-Ed in TIME: The Lesson Israel Must Learn From America’s Fight in Fallujah
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today at a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, Congressman Moulton called attention to water-related priorities in the 6th District–including the Hall-Whitaker Bridge in Beverly, the Plum Island Jetty, and funding for shallow harbors in Gloucester, Salem, Newburyport, Lynn, Rockport, and Beverly.In a newly published op-ed for TIME, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) argues that the Battle of Fallujah, fought by the Marines almost two decades ago, should offer a key lesson for Israel as it continues its war against Hamas. Just like the Marines shifted their strategy to reduce civilian casualties in Fallujah, Israel must tighten its rules of engagement and make protecting innocent civilians a core strategic objective. Moulton writes:
“The Battle of Fallujah, fought almost exactly nineteen years ago in Iraq, is a central part of Marine Corps lore. But what everyone is actually remembering is the Second Battle of Fallujah. The First Battle of Fallujah ended in embarrassment: Marines occupied a quarter of the city only to call it off after five days because of rising civilian casualties. It was a remarkable moment of contrition and self-criticism for the Marine Corps.
Yet that pause made possible a new strategy that brought victory the second time around.
Last week’s truce offered Israel a similar opportunity: to change its strategy to one that will not just win the war, but win the peace.
As U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, himself a veteran of Iraq, said recently, “In this kind of a fight, the center of gravity is the civilian population. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”
The piece later continues:
“Marines learned the importance of not just defeating the insurgents—but winning over everyone else. Iraqis had a choice: join the insurgency or bet on the Marines and sit it out. This is when the Marines adopted our now-proud slogan: “No better friend, no worse enemy, than a U.S. Marine.” Being a good friend comes first.
Israel needs to learn that Palestinians have a similar choice. A survey just before the October 7th attacks found that 67 percent of Palestinians in Gaza had little or no trust in Hamas, so it was fertile ground for Israel to prove they have a common enemy in Hamas.
That’s why Israel has not just a moral problem with how many innocents have died in this conflict already, but a serious military problem as well. Famed U.S. General Stanley McChrystal called this problem “insurgent math.” He estimated that for every single innocent civilian killed, the insurgency recruits ten new adherents.”
This new op-ed continues an argument Moulton first made in mid-October in a CNN piece about why Netanyahu needs an end-game.