The Biden administration staunchly took Israel’s side today. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel refused to condemn Israel’s storming of Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, then went on to condemn rocket attacks coming from Gaza and Lebanon.
And the U.S. also stepped in to block a U.N. Security Council statement to the press criticizing Israel for the raids, according to an Israeli official (speaking to an Israeli reporter). Jacob Magid reports that Israeli diplomats coordinated with the U.S.:
The UNSC held an emergency session today to discuss recent violence in Jerusalem & several members pushed for panel to issue a statement condemning Israel over police beating of Muslim worshippers at Al Aqsa on Monday night, according to a UN diplomat for a county on the panel. Some members were also pushing for the statement to include a condemnation of rocket fire at Israel from Gaza and Lebanon, per UN diplomat. Israel pushed against issuing any statement, fearing it would draw equivalency between its actions & terror groups, per senior Israeli official
The State Department was asked about “unprovoked” attacks in the last two nights by Israeli police and troops on worshipers at the mosque. Patel responded:
We are concerned by the scenes out of Jerusalem. And it is our viewpoint that it is absolutely vital that the sanctity of holy sites be preserved. We emphasize the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem and any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo to us is unacceptable. We call for restraint, coordination and calm during the holiday season.
Notice that Patel does not call out Israel for jeopardizing the status quo. Later Patel commented on the rocket attacks:
We condemn the launch of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza at Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad and we recognize that Israel has the legitimate right to defend itself against all forms of aggression.
Israel’s administrative detention of Jamal Niser
Today, the State Department refused to comment on Israel’s confinement of Jamal Niser, a 76-year-old American, who has been in administrative detention without charges for seven months.
“We are aware of these reports… and are continuing to monitor the situation,” Patel said.
DAWN’s report on Niser says the U.S. government ought to take action against the Israelis for a violation of international law:
When Jamal got out of prison in October 2021, days before his 75th birthday, he attempted to return to the United States to be with his children, but the Israeli army denied him permission to leave the occupied territory without giving any reason. With the intervention of then-Congressman Tim Ryan of Jamal’s home state of Ohio, Israeli authorities gave the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem written assurances that they would allow him to depart for the U.S. Even with that letter in hand, however, the Israeli military denied him permission to leave a second time in October 2021.
Less than a year later, on August 24, 2022, the Israeli military again raided Jamal’s home in the Ramallah-area city of al-Bireh in the middle of the night, this time with an embedded television news crew, breaking down the front door of his home and detaining him…
On March 30, 2023, American consular officials visited Niser in Israel’s Ofer Military Prison in the occupied West Bank, and communicated to his family that he is in need of ocular surgery that he would prefer to undergo in Ohio, where he lived for 40 years and where his family remains.
Niser’s continued detention is a violation of international human rights laws prohibiting arbitrary, indefinite imprisonment without charge, and could amount to a war crime under Article 8(2)(a)(vi) of the Rome Statute, which prohibits “[w]ilfully depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial.” Furthermore, the Secretary of State should designate Niser as wrongfully detained under the “Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act,” demand that Israel immediately release Niser or charge him with a crime in a criminal proceeding. The President should also order sanctions against the Israeli officials responsible for his continued detention, as permitted by the law.
Biden , stay out of Ireland , we do not need a zionist patsy spreading zionist propaganda amongst our people.Nor do we need a bought and paid for coward who claims to be a supporter of peace and justice while he kisses zionist posteriors.
Why would the US condemn the storming of a Holy place by the nazis of our time,(who do so every Ramadan intentionally, to provoke anger and a response), when IT IS THE US THAT IS FUNDING THE OCCUPATION AND THEFT OF LAND, AND WHO GIVE THESE KILLERS THE WEAPONS IT USES AGAINST CIVILIANS? This is America’s top charity case and partner in crime, doing exactly what it wants, while America acts “concerned” and wrings its hands. Who are they trying to fool?
America once again has refused to condemn the apartheid nation’s criminal activities and is protecting it against world condemnation. America’s best ally in the Middle East is acting up again.
The Israeli hardliners and racist ultra right wing regime, are now going full steam ahead to wipe out the Palestinians, and take everything they can, even destroy Islam’s 3rd Holiest shrine, all to satisfy their greed, even if it means killing and injuring civilians, in order to do so.
Shame on the apartheid nation’s new buddies like the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, for kissing up to these killers, instead of strongly condemning these actions, and who will continue to trade with the zionists and buy their shiny weapons. They desecrate a Holy place, and all they can do is utter a few words of disapproval.
Time the Islamic world started to boycott and stand up to those who have NO respect for their religion or people. Today there is regret that the world did not stand up to the nazis in a timely manner, and it seems they are doing the same presently by just watching the zionists steal, kill, and injure, people without freedom, rights, and no “democratic” western nation standing up for them.
Every time the zionist leader/s have serious domestic trouble, in this case the hundreds of thousands of protesters who make their crooked leader look bad, the poor Palestinians have to pay the price. All they have to do is ask their jackbooted thugs to storm into a Holy place, desecrate the Mosque, attack the worshippers, and make them angry. They know they will retaliate any way they can. It has been happening for years, and we can be sure that the US, Uk, EU, and the Arab nations will show their concern and the apartheid nation will get away with murder again.
In order for peace in Israel/Palestine, I’m sure most people would agree, there needs to be equality, justice and understanding between all Palestinians and all Israelis. Hence I think the use of the term Israelistine. What does equality, justice and understanding look like when three religious communities live there? To me it means if I’m a Muslim that the Al Aqsa Mosque has been standing many years before the colonisation of Palestine and has been a holy place of significance for many years, so muslims are free to worship there following their traditions and festivals. As far as I am aware Jews who have also lived in the land many years, not the present colonisers, had no problem with worshipping as they wanted to worship, in their synagogues, and accepting that Muslims would worship in their mosques, Al Aqsa , included. To me it means if I’m a Jew that I respect where each of us want to worship and our religious traditions and festivals. If I’m a Christian it means being free to follow my religious traditions and festivals in a church. None of those three religious communities should force their traditions and festivals on the others. Yes we should all be able to visit one anothers’ places of worship but we shouldn’t take any of our religious traditions or festivals with us. To do so is disrespectful, makes the other religions “other”, and our religion supreme. We all know religion isn’t supreme God is.
US/israel = I have no use for either of them.