Secretary of State Antony Blinken was widely condemned over the weekend with a since-deleted social media post in which he encouraged a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
By Anash.org reporter
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was widely condemned over the weekend with a since-deleted social media post in which he encouraged a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Blinken said in the Sunday message that he “encouraged” Turkey’s push for a halt to the fighting just as Israel began responding to Hamas terrorist attack that left hundreds of Israeli citizens dead.
“Turkish Foreign Minister @HakanFidan and I spoke further on Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel. I encouraged Türkiye’s advocacy for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas immediately,” read Blinken’s post on X, formerly Twitter.
Blinken’s post came one day after the US Office of Palestinian Affairs tweeted, then deleted, another controversial post arguing for a halt to the violence.
“We unequivocally condemn the attack of Hamas terrorists and the loss of life that has incurred. We urge all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks. Terror and violence solve nothing,” the OPA said on X.
Turkey has long been supporters of Hamas and asking them to mediate against the terrorists is like asking the arsonists to mediate between the flames and the firefighters.
Senator Ted Cruz strongly criticized the tweet writing on X that “It was absolutely disgraceful. The U.S. must ensure Israel has all the weapons and the time it needs to utterly destroy Hamas. Calling for premature ceasefires means siding with Hamas and absolving Hamas of murder, rape, torture, and unspeakable war crimes.
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