State Dept spokesperson Ned Price is stepping down. He often struggled to show concern for Palestinians while making clear the U.S. would do nothing to hold Israel accountable. Here are a few of his highlights.

As communities across Palestine face the worst settler attacks in years, there has been a spate of pro-Israel letters and bills back in Washington, DC.

On February 22, Israeli forces invaded Nablus, killing 11 Palestinians, and wounding more than 100 more. The Biden administration responded by calling for “both sides” to “de-escalate tensions.”

The State Department was asked multiple times whether or not the Biden administration was prepared to do anything to impede Israel’s new West Bank settlement plans– legalizing Jewish outposts– beyond the customary condemnations. Ned Price’s answer was “No,” but he used many words to get there.

Pro-Israel activists and lawmakers are up in arms about questions on the NY State Regents exam which discuss the creation of the state of Israel, and acknowledge that the Golan Heights were illegally annexed.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Israel and things went exactly as one might expect. There were the usual public comments about the Biden administration’s ironclad support for the country, the standard denunciations of Palestine violence paired with tepid criticisms of Israeli state violence, and (of course) some references to the two-state solution. However, the context of the trip makes the same old song and dance seem a bit more ridiculous.

Billboards in Berkeley, CA attacking anti-Zionist students were defaced with the message, “Free Palestine.” Police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime.

A group called “JewBelong” just launched eight billboards across Berkeley. “You don’t need to go to law school to know anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” they declare, an obvious reference to Berkeley Law School where Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine developed a bylaw calling on other campus groups to to refrain from inviting Zionists speakers. Meanwhile, some of the Berkeley Law students who belong to groups that endorsed the bylaw are now being harassed by another pro-Israel group who sent mobile billboards to be parked outside their homes calling them antisemitic.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s brazen move to rescind a fellowship to Kenneth Roth over criticism of Israel is becoming a massive own goal for the institution. Organizations are calling for Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf’s resignation, Roth hitting the interview circuit, and a fresh round of people checking out Human Right Watch’s apartheid report.

Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the Biden administration would judge incoming Israeli leaders on their actions. So far it has remained silent as the new Israeli leaders have taken proactive actions in Jerusalem, and Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians in the first week of 2023.