ByNews Desk- The Cradle
The White House has been hesitant about welcoming Israeli PM Netanyahu citing the violent rhetoric of his government and rampant settlement expansions
His comments came on the heels of two consecutive settler rampages launched in response to a resistance operation north of Ramallah, which killed four Israelis.
“We will not stand by and watch settler violence occur. No one should have to worry about a rogue army,” the US envoy said.
During a gathering in Tel Aviv on Thursday, Nides said he has “an emotional connection to the Israeli families and also the Palestinian families. No one wants to stand by and watch that happen. My heart breaks for all these families.”
He said this after being accused of comparing the four Israelis killed on Tuesday to “Palestinian gunmen” who killed an Israeli raid on Jenin the day before.
Earlier in the week, Nides posted a tweet expressing concern over violence in the West Bank. He faced harsh criticism for doing so.
Deeply concerned about the civilian deaths and injuries that have occurred in the West Bank these past 48 hours, including that of minors. Praying for the families as they mourn the loss of loved ones, or tend to those injured.
— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) June 20, 2023
“My heart breaks for the families who lost a loved one 48 hours ago. We need to make sure that justice is done properly. We can’t want peace more than the parties want peace. The people have got to want it. It takes the next generation. It’s this generation of people who will have to demand of the politicians to do the right thing,” Nides added during the gathering.
Washington has continued calling for a two-state solution while failing to properly condemn illegal settlement expansion. Despite its condemnation of the extreme rhetoric of Israel’s government, the Israeli occupation continues to receive broad and unconditional US support, particularly through yearly military aid.
The US has also condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan.
Washington and Tel Aviv have been at odds over Iran. The US is involved in talks to potentially revive a nuclear agreement. At the same time, Israel continues to stand against any deal with Iran, repeating decades-old threats of military action against the Islamic Republic.
During an interview with the Jerusalem Post, released on 22 June but conducted shortly before the recent flare-up in the West Bank, Netanyahu said that the US-Israeli relationship is “transparent” and that: “We tell each other what our positions are very clearly.”
However, the prime minister said that he never agreed to “no surprises,” adding: “I want to maintain Israel’s freedom of action,” referring specifically to the prospect of military action against Iran.
“I’m being completely transparent about the fact that we’re not going to be transparent completely on this,” Netanyahu said.
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