Administration official: Israel can do more to avoid civilian deaths

The administration’s deputy national security adviser said Sunday that Israel could do more to ensure Palestinian civilians aren’t killed in the current crisis.

“I think you can always do more,” Ben Rhodes said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The U.S. military does that in Afghanistan. We don’t have a perfect record.”

While Israel should do more to ensure civilians aren’t killed in the rocket strikes, Mr. Rhodes said Israel does have a right to defend itself against the Palestinians.

“If there are rockets being fired indiscriminately at Israel, they have a right to defend themselves,” he said. “We have said Israel has to do a better job to avoid civilian loss of life.”

The best way to avoid loss of civilian life, he said, is to agree to a cease-fire.