Biden’s Israel Ambassador Nides Slammed For Equating Terrorists and Victims

ISRAEL (VINnews) — An offensive tweet from US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides equating Arab terrorists and Israeli victims of the terrorist attack near Eli on Tuesday, has been slammed by many critics, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

It even drew a rare rebuke from the Israeli Ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog.

“Deeply concerned about the civilian deaths and injuries that have occurred in the West Bank these past 48 hours, including that of minors,” Nides tweeted several hours after the unspeakable deadly attack in which two Palestinian terrorists brutally murdered four Jews (HY”D).

He added, “Praying for the families as they mourn the loss of loved ones, or tend to those injured.”

Moral equivalence from the US Ambassador. How sad & so wrong. https://t.co/Qg4dpaQhwQ

— Chaskel Bennett (@ChaskelBennett) June 20, 2023

One terrorist was killed at the scene outside Eli, and the other was killed after he tried to escape.

Earlier this week, Israel raided the homes of terrorists in Jenin.

Today, yet another heinous Palestinian terror attack claimed the lives of 4 innocent Israeli civilians. There is no justification whatsoever for the targeting and killing of innocent civilians. It must be unequivocally condemned. Any attempt of a so called “balanced” condemnation…

— Ambassador Michael Herzog (@AmbHerzog) June 20, 2023

“Any attempt of a so-called ‘balanced’ condemnation is misguided and disrespectful to the memory of the victims,” Herzog tweeted, clearly in response to Nides.

“In recent months, terror activities in the northern part of the West Bank have escalated as the Palestinian Authority has lost effective security control,” he wrote.

“Jenin, where the IDF recently operated, has become an Iranian terror stronghold, located just minutes away from Israeli population centers. Replete with hundreds of armed terrorists and laboratories working to produce lethal explosive devices and rockets, this ‘capital’ of terror has become the main springboard of terror attacks against Israelis… Israel will do whatever it takes to protect Israeli citizens and stop this wave of terror.”

Biden’s ambassador to Israel: Slaughtered Jewish civilians in the town of Eli are interchangeable with Palestinian-Arab jihadists killed during an IDF counterterrorism operation in the the terror hotbed of Jenin.

Disgusting and shameful. But also predictable. https://t.co/BG0g1Vtxh9

— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) June 21, 2023

Josh Hammer, Senior Editor at large of Newsweek, tweeted: “Biden’s ambassador to Israel: Slaughtered Jewish civilians in the town of Eli are interchangeable with Palestinian-Arab jihadists killed during an IDF counterterrorism operation in the terror hotbed of Jenin.”

He added, “Disgusting and shameful. But also predictable.:

Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, a renowned and outspoken author and teacher, wrote a scathing op-ed entitled “Ambassador Nides Owes Jews an apology”.

He wrote: “…the response of American Ambassador Tom Nides has caused a great deal of damage and pain that needs to be repaired.”

He added, “A response mentioning in the same breath terrorists that have been killed by the IDF as well as young Jews being murdered while eating and a hummus restaurant, is, first and foremost, an insult to the victims and their families.

“It is an insult to the Israeli soldiers who risk their lives day and night to protect all civilian lives. It is an insult to the communities whose children, friends, neighbors, and members have been injured or killed.”

His piece concluded: “Ambassador Nides must offer an apology both to the state of Israel, to those who value strong US-Israel relations, and to the Jewish people who mourn the loss of our brethren regardless of where they are attacked.”