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The UN report part 4: Comments by a man who knows what he is talking about – Colonel Richard Kemp CBE
Unlike the Commisioners who have no military experience, Colonel Kemp was commander of an infantry battalion of British Forces in Afghanistan. He served in the the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. He is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and received the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery. He worked for the Joint Intelligence Committee and completed 14 operational tours of duty around the globe.
Colonel Kemp does not see himself as having a pro-Israel stance, but rather as being committed to spreading the truth in all regions of the world. In response to a question about his views of the IDF, Kemp responded:
“I consider myself as having an objective view of what’s happening over here. The IDF does not need me to defend them; they have proven it over the years. It’s the dispassionate military perspective that I bring.
Regarding media bias, he said:
“It was clear to me that there was a great deal of propaganda that was being generated against Israel, and then exploited by people who didn’t understand military matters and didn’t want to question it. It suited their agenda to vilify Israel.”
Kemp first gained experience of the IDF when he travelled to Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense. He said then:
“I wanted to gain a firsthand understanding of what is happening today in the Gaza conflict, because in my experience there is no substitute for seeing things as close as you can and talking to people who are directly involved in them.”
On reporting his positive conclusions about the IDF after objective observation he said:
“People ask me why I have a pro-IDF point of view. I consider myself as having an objective view of what’s happening over here. The IDF does not need me to defend them; they have proven it over the years. It’s the dispassionate military perspective that I bring.”
In his 30 years of military experience, Col. Kemp has repeatedly faced enemies fighting from within civilian populations. As such, he is well acquainted with the sorts of challenges that Israel faces as it seeks to prevent terror attacks without harming innocent civilians adding that media outlets often misjudged situations, due to a lack of such experience.
“It was clear to me that there was a great deal of propaganda being generated against Israel, and then exploited by people who didn’t understand military matters and didn’t want to question it. It suited their agenda to vilify Israel.”