“And frankly — and I’m not pointing the finger at anyone else, but if another country, we felt, were taking severe or draconian measures in the wake of some kind of attack, we might also comment.” So State Department spokesman Mark Toner would have us believe that only Israel takes severe and draconian measures after jihad terror attacks. This is a falsehood straight out of the “Palestinian” propaganda playbook. The State Department has never addressed the fact that the “Palestinians” manufacture Israeli atrocities and try to provoke civilian casualties they can then use for propaganda purposes — instead, its policies are based on a credulous acceptance of “Palestinian” claims.
“State press briefing — Other than Israel, has admin ever pushed allies for ‘restraint’ after terror attack? — State spox: ‘No,'” by Omri Ceren, The Israel Project, June 10, 2016:
On Wednesday two Palestinian terrorists opened fire in a Tel Aviv food market, killing four Israelis and wounding another 16. On Thursday Israel responded by among other things revoking expanded Ramadan travel permits, which would have enabled Palestinians to travel out of the West Bank and access places in Israel like Tel Aviv [a].
On Friday morning UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Al-Hussein condemned the “alleged [Palestinian] attackers” but at the same time blasted Israel for revoking the permits: he said Israel’s moves were “prohibited collective punishment” and added that they could be responsible for further Palestinian terrorism [b].
This afternoon State Department spokesperson Toner was asked whether the administration rejected or agreed with Al-Hussein’s accusation. Instead Toner repeatedly refused to “characterize” Israel’s response. Reuters’s Arshad Mohammed opened by asking why the administration couldn’t simply “make an argument… it’s a security measure rather than a punitive measure.” The AP’s Matt Lee wrapped up with “All right. I give up.”
I’ve pasted a full transcript at the bottom of this email. In between all the declining to characterize, there was this part about the administration pressuring Israel in the aftermath of Wednesday’s terror attack:
LEE, AP: Last one. Do you recall — and this is going back to first — my earlier question, which I don’t think you answered, which is — do you recall ever feeling the need to advise, to warn, to urge governments in Europe to use restraint as they respond, when they respond to terrorist attacks?
TONER: I can’t come up with an instance, no.
LEE, AP: OK, so why is it — is the situation with the Israelis and the Palestinians just so unique that you think that it is required?
TONER: Well, again — so a couple of thoughts on that, actually. First of all, these are — this is an ongoing conflict that involves two parties.
LEE, AP: Right.
TONER: We don’t want to see tensions exacerbated on either side, and we realize that when these senseless acts of violence and terrorism take place, that they only escalate tensions, understandably. We want to see a diminution of violence — we want to see an end to violence, we want to see a diminution of tensions. With that understanding and that awareness, that we do comment on the actions that Israel has taken. And frankly — and I’m not pointing the finger at anyone else, but if another country, we felt, were taking severe or draconian measures in the wake of some kind of attack, we might also comment. I’m not saying that this is that case, but I’m saying we might. You’ve actually done well. You forced me to answer a hypothetical.