Former CIA Director and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has ignited international outrage by explicitly advocating for the manipulation of historical narratives surrounding Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. During a January 13th virtual event hosted by the pro-Israeli MirYam Institute, Pompeo asserted that the documentation of the conflict must be shaped to ensure future history books emphasize Israeli victimhood while minimizing Palestinian casualties.
The MirYam Institute, led by former Israeli army combat veteran Benjamin Anthony, describes itself as a platform for diverse Israeli perspectives. Pompeo’s remarks directly addressed historical framing, stating: ‘There were victims in Gaza, there are civilian casualties in every war that’s ever been fought. But the victims were the people of the nation-state of Israel. The aggressor was the Iranian regime in the proxy of Hamas.’
These comments emerge amid overwhelming evidence of humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where United Nations experts and genocide scholars have documented over 71,400 fatalities and widespread destruction, characterizing the conflict as genocidal. International human rights organizations continue to report extensive civilian casualties, mass displacement, and systemic infrastructure collapse in the besieged territory.
Social media platforms erupted with condemnation from journalists, activists, and human rights advocates who accused Pompeo of openly endorsing historical erasure. Palestinian journalist Motasem A Dalloul responded on X: ‘They even are working to continue the genocide inflicted on us after their death!’ Numerous critics drew parallels to Holocaust denial, noting the explicit attempt to rewrite historical accounting of civilian suffering.
This incident reflects Pompeo’s established pattern of support for Israeli military actions. Previously documented visits to Israeli ‘rejuvenation centers’ for soldiers returning from Gaza and public demonstrations of solidarity with Israeli forces have characterized his post-government career. The current controversy highlights ongoing tensions between factual documentation of the conflict’s human cost and political efforts to control its historical perception, particularly as Israel continues to violate ceasefire agreements with reported violations exceeding 1,200 incidents since the October 2023 truce.