“Israel has a right to defend itself, but …” Supporters of Israel have grown accustomed to hearing some formulation of the preceding sentence whenever Israel takes security actions, with the “but” typically being followed by criticism of Israeli actions that in actuality question its right to self-defense.

When new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, visiting Jordan, was asked if the U.S. viewed Israeli actions in response to violence along its southern border as excessive, his response stood in stark contrast. He simply said: “We do believe Israelis have the right to defend themselves and we’re fully supportive of that.” End of statement. No “buts” about it.