Israel Matzav

Is this what the US State Department told Belgium and France after their terror attacks?

Posting this in the hope that @apdiplowriter will ask the State Department about it this afternoon.

In the aftermath of the terror attack at the Max Brenner restaurant at Tel Aviv's Sarona Market on Wednesday, the US State Department is warning Israel not to 'escalate tensions.'

"We understand the Israeli government's desire to protect its citizens after this kind of terrorist attack," said Mark Toner, a spokesman for the State Department. "We would just hope that any measures that Israel takes would be designed to not escalate tensions any further, but we certainly respect their desire to express outrage and to protect the safety of their people."

Nine Israelis were shot on Wednesday night by at least three Palestinian men, in what has been characterized by the United Nations, the US and Israel as an act of terror. Four of the victims have died.

The decision by Israel not to return the bodies of dead Palestinian perpetrators to their families– a policy Israel considers a deterrent against future attacks– is "obviously an internal matter for Israel to debate," Toner remarked. But he made note of Israel's decision to constrict ease of travel for thousands of Palestinians in and out of the strip.

I doubt the State Department bothered to look, but Saturday night and Sunday are the Jewish holiday of Shavuoth, and on Jewish holidays travel from Judea, Samaria and Gaza (isn't there a 'blockade' in Gaza anyway?) is always restricted to humanitarian cases to enable the army to give more leaves.

The Washington Institute's Rob Satloff asks the right question:

Shocking @StateDept warning to #Israel after #TelAvivAttack. Did it issue similar warning to #France and #Belgium? https://t.co/tB9P0l6usu

— Robert Satloff (@robsatloff) June 9, 2016

Well, of course they didn't. But a different standard always applies to Israel.... I can't wait to hear the reaction when they find out that the cabinet is meeting today to expedite the demolition of the terrorists' homes.

And by the way, the terrorists came from Yata, which is south of Hebron, and not from Gaza.

Labels: home demolitions, Palestinian terrorism, Shavuoth, State Department obsession with Israel, Tel Aviv

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:30 PM