After Hamas attack on Israel
Blinken tweet about ceasefire efforts deleted
October 9, 2023, 9:12 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
After Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, US Secretary of State Blinken consults with his Turkish counterpart. A tweet is then apparently sent from his account, which disappears again a few hours later. A similar incident had occurred shortly before.
Two apparently deleted tweets under the auspices of the US State Department are causing a stir following the major Hamas attacks on Israel. According to media reports, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken consulted with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on the matter, a tweet was published on his English: ceasefire). However, the post was later no longer online. The “New York Post” like that too Turkish news agency Anadolu report about it.
Shortly before, a tweet from the US Office of Palestinian Affairs, which is assigned to Blinken’s ministry, had been deleted. There were According to US media called on all parties to the conflict to “refrain from violence and reprisal attacks”.
Congressman: “No – it’s time for massive counterattacks”
There was criticism of the content of both tweets. Republican Congressman Nick LaLota explained about via X: “A US Secretary of State advocating for Israel to impose a ceasefire? (…) No – it is time for massive counterattacks, otherwise innocent Israelis will continue to be terrorized and the Americans could be next.” The New York Post quotes other critics who criticize Blinken’s alleged statement both in terms of content and question the competence of his communications team.
Blinken’s tweet has not been saved in the Internet archives. The fact that numerous portals have secured the statement with a screenshot – apparently at different times and with different numbers of likes and shares – speaks against a fake. A press release from the US State Department continues In a similar formulation, there is talk of support for the Turkish side’s efforts, although the term “ceasefire” is not used. When the tweet was sent out, it could have been a communication error from Blinken’s communications department. Or the statement was meant that way, but was later backtracked.
Hamas surprised Israel with a major attack from the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. Hundreds of people in Israel died. The Israeli army responded with counterattacks. After the attack began, the USA declared that it would stand on Israel’s side. The world has seen “disgusting images” from Israel with thousands of rockets raining down on cities, said US President Joe Biden. “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people,” he said in a statement.