Confrontation and chaos! US Secretary of State faces fierce criticism from journalists about Gaza in his farewell, with reporter forcibly expelled in dramatic scene at the State Department
Several journalists, vocal critics of US support for Israel, verbally attacked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday during a press conference on the war in Gaza, repeatedly interrupting his statements as he tried to defend the administration. of the 15-month conflict.
Israel’s attack on Gaza will likely be the most important foreign policy milestone for the outgoing Biden administration, despite an agreement reached on Wednesday with the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages. .
“Criminal! Why aren’t you in The Hague?” shouted Sam Husseini, an independent journalist and longtime critic of Washington’s approach to the global stage. The Hague is the seat of the International Criminal Court.
The unusually confrontational scene in the State Department press room only ended when security guards forcibly removed Husseini, carrying him outside as he continued to interrupt Blinken.
Blinken has faced criticism for providing arms and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the latest bloodshed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250, according to counts. Israelis.
Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, and sparked accusations of genocide in a World Court case brought by South Africa, as well as allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. The attack displaced nearly all of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million and raised concerns from the world’s top hunger monitor.
“Why did you keep sending bombs when we already had an agreement in May?” asked Max Blumenthal, editor of Grayzone, an outlet that is highly critical of many aspects of US foreign policy, before being escorted out.
Blinken, who will leave office on Monday with President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, urged calm as he delivered his remarks and later answered questions from reporters.
He has frequently been the target of interruptions during appearances in Washington since the start of the Gaza conflict. Protesters camped for months outside his Virginia home and repeatedly threw red paint — similar to blood — on cars carrying Blinken and his family.
Asked during the press conference whether he would change anything in his negotiations with Israel, Blinken said that the Israeli government had implemented policies “basically supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis after the trauma of October 7th” and that this needed to be taken into account in US response.
The Biden administration has been unable to reach final determinations on individual incidents that could constitute violations of international law because Hamas has entrenched itself in the civilian population, he said.
“I would also like to point out that in Israel there are hundreds of cases that are being investigated,” Blinken said. “They have a process, they have procedures, they have the rule of law… That’s the hallmark of any democracy.”
With information from Reuters*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/01/18/jornalistas-destroem-narrativa-americana-na-ultima-coletiva-de-blinken-em-gaza/
