The Biden administration’s U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs deleted a post telling Israel not to retaliate after a massive attack by Islamist group Hamas at daybreak on Saturday, according to multiple reports.
Hamas launched 5,000 rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip in a surprise attack, followed by dozens of gunmen who entered the country and kidnapped many Israelis, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs posted a message to X — formerly Twitter — calling for “all sides to refrain” from violent retaliation before deleting it. (RELATED: Fact Checking Videos, Images And Posts From October Hamas Attack On Israel)
“We unequivocally condemn the attack of Hamas terrorists and the loss of life that has incurred,” the deleted post stated. “We urge all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks. Terror and violence solve nothing.”
“This tweet was not approved and does not represent U.S. policy,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The United States condemns the terrorist attack against Israel and unequivocally supports Israel’s right to defend itself, as the President and Secretary have both made clear.”
However, the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs did not confirm or deny whether they made the post and deleted it, instead pointing the DCNF to posts by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the White House National Security Council spokesperson condemning the attacks. The office later followed up, echoing what the State Department told the DCNF.
Deleted, but the internet is forever. https://t.co/Y8uYJC0t3d pic.twitter.com/jzPOHIyXED
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 7, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war in response to Hamas’ attack, pledging historic retaliation.
“The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” Netanyahu stated, according to AP. He also said that Israel will “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.”
Biden established the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem in June 2022 and it is under the State Department.
The White House did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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