THE SQUAD AND OTHERS

The sequel to the post I wrote on Friday relates to the “Squad.”                                                                An unofficial group of Democratic politicians, namely Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Representatives Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib.                                                            I refer to their knee-jerk reaction to the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.                   The opportunity was too good to miss, they didn’t need proof, they had made up their minds.

Ocasio-Cortez was particularly vociferous ranting against the shooting of Abu Akleh for over an hour in an Instagram video she posted on Friday.                                                                                                 Not to be outdone, the others followed suit. Ilhan Omar was more concise but just as vitriolic. “We provide Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid annually with no restrictions. What will it take for accountability for these human rights violations?"

The outraged members of the “Squad” weren’t alone in demanding accountability for the journalist’s death.                                                                                                                                                             A group of 57 House Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and FBI Director Chris Wray “requesting” that the State Department and the FBI launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death. The members, predominantly left-leaning Democrats, noted that Abu Akleh held US citizenship and pointed to divergent Israeli and Palestinian versions of the circumstances of her death.

Israel Ambassador to the US Mike Herzog wrote in a statement that he was “disheartened” to read the letter.

“This letter does not offer a fair representation of the case, ignores important context of the events leading to Ms. Abu Akleh’s tragic death, and reaches the wrong conclusion,” Herzog wrote.

“On May 11, 2022, Israeli security forces operated in Jenin to thwart yet another impending terror attack and were confronted by heavily armed Palestinian militants, most of them affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad – a US-designated terrorist organization,” the ambassador wrote. “Shireen Abu Akleh died in the exchange of fire in this charged environment.”

“The letter ignores the fact that Israel has from the outset, called for an impartial joint Israeli-Palestinian investigation with the US in an observer role. Our call was flatly rejected by the PA [Palestinian Authority], which is cynically using Ms. Abu Akleh’s death to instigate an anti-Israel propaganda campaign.

“To this day, the PA has refused to give Israel access to the bullet that killed Ms. Abu Akleh, making it impossible to conduct a ballistic examination that would determine whether the bullet was shot by an IDF weapon – only the IDF can carry out such an investigation,” Herzog added.

“No journalist should die in the line of duty,” the ambassador continued. “Israel holds freedom of the press in the highest regard and sees the protection of journalists as a fundamental part of our democracy.” The ambassador added a significant concluding point “IDF troops would never intentionally target members of the press.”

Beni                                                            23rd of May, 2022