Journalists berate Blinken over Gaza policy at his final press conference

WASHINGTON – Several journalists who are outspoken critics of American support for Israel loudly lambasted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the war in Gaza on Jan 16, repeatedly interrupting his final press conference as he sought to defend his handling of the 15-month-old conflict.

Israel’s assault on Gaza is likely to define the foreign policy legacy of the outgoing Biden administration, despite

a deal reached with Palestinian militant group Hamas

on Jan 15 on a ceasefire in exchange for a release of hostages.

“Criminal! Why aren’t you in The Hague?” shouted Mr Sam Husseini, an independent journalist and critic of Washington’s approach to the world.

The Hague is where the International Criminal Court (ICC) is located.

The unusually confrontational scene in the State Department briefing room ended only when security personnel forcibly picked up Mr Husseini and carried him out of the room as he continued to heckle Mr Blinken.

The latter has faced criticism for providing Israel with weapons and diplomatic support since the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on Oct 7, 2023. Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry. The response has drawn accusations of genocide in a World Court case brought by South Africa, and of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the ICC.

Israel denies the allegations. The assault has displaced nearly Gaza’s entire 2.3 million population and triggered the concern of the world’s main hunger monitor.

“Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?” Mr Max Blumenthal, editor of Grayzone, an outlet that strongly criticises many aspects of US foreign policy, called out to Mr Blinken, before he was escorted out.

Mr Blinken, who leaves office on Jan 20 when the administration of President-elect Donald Trump takes over, calmly asked for quiet while he delivered his remarks, and later took questions.

He has been frequently heckled at appearances in Washington since the Gaza conflict began. Demonstrators camped outside his Virginia home for months and repeatedly threw red paint – resembling blood – on cars carrying him and his family.

Asked during the press conference if he would change anything about his dealings with Israel, he said the Israeli government carried out policies that “were basically supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis after the trauma of Oct 7”. He added that that had to be factored into the US response.

The Biden administration had been unable to reach final determinations on individual incidents that could constitute violations of international law because Hamas embedded itself within the civilian population, he noted.

“I’d also point out that in Israel itself, there are hundreds of cases that are being investigated,” Mr Blinken said. “They have a process, they have procedures, they have rule of law... That’s the hallmark of any democracy.” REUTERS