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VIDEO: Questioning State Dept which Refuses to Acknowledge Israel's Nuclear Weapons and Expulsions

Archbishop Desmond Tutu died a little over a year ago. His last published article was an admonition: “Joe Biden should end the US pretence over Israel’s ‘secret’ nuclear weapons."

Sam Husseini

On Thursday, the State Department announcedTony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend. 

This morning, I was talking to a friend and told them it felt to me as though Israel was trying to provoke an attack by a Palestinian on Israeli civilians to coincide with Blinken’s trip with its escalating attacks, especially its most recent bloodbath in Jenin. Israel leveled much of Jenin in 2002. Sure enough, there was such an attack by a Palestinian shortly before the news conference began. 

State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel began the news conference by condemning that attack and stressing “we stand with the Israeli people” offering his “solidarity” with them. 

Regulars at the State Department asked the first several questions including Said Arikat of Al-Quds. Full briefings are at State.gov and today’s is already up at C-SPAN. 

Then I weighed in [see video on Twitter as well as Rokfin, Rumble and YouTube]: 

Sam Husseini: Archbishop Desmond Tutu died a year ago—a little over a year ago. His last published article was an admonition to this administration entitled “Joe Bided should end the US pretense over Israel’s ‘secret’ nuclear weapons.” “The coverup has to stop,” read the headline, and with it he called for US to use laws to cut off funding to human rights abusers, citing Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians as well as nuclear proliferators. Tutu, of course, headed The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He ended the piece: “There are few truths more critical to face than a nuclear weapons arsenal in the hands of an apartheid government.” Will you here today acknowledge the obvious truth that Israel has a nuclear weapons arsenal, or will you continue with this “coverup” — as the archbishop referred to it?

Vedant Patel: What I will say is that we recognize the very real security challenges facing Israel and The Palestinian Authority and condemn terrorist groups planning and carrying out attacks against innocent civilians. And we also mourn the loss of innocent lives and regret injuries to civilians. But I don’t have any specific comment to offer on what you asked.

Sam Husseini: Israel has had nuclear weapons for decades and you can’t acknowledge that Israel has a nuclear weapons arsenal? 

Vedant Patel: I’m gonna work the room a little bit. Alex, go ahead.

Sam Husseini: You expect us to believe what you’re saying from that podium, and you can’t acknowledge the empirical reality of Israel’s nuclear weapons.

Vedant Patel: Go ahead, Alex.

Later, I got the following question in [see video on Twitter as well as Rokfin, Rumble and YouTube]: 

Sam Husseini: The Israeli author Miko Peled, author of The General’s Son, has talked about the Israeli context as, on the one hand you have Netanyahu, who will not acknowledge that Israel drove out Palestinians in 1948, and now you have people on the right wing of Israel calling for another expulsion of Palestinians that Netanyahu claims never happened. Will you call on Israel to acknowledge the past expulsions and condemn the Israeli right wing, which is calling for other expulsions? 

Vedant Patel: What I would say is I would echo what Secretary Blinken has said a number of times in that our engagement with the new Israeli government will be rooted in the policies it pursues and not in personalities. And I don’t have anything else to offer on this.

Sam Husseini: It’s not a matter of personalities. It’s not a matter of if I like Netanyahu or you like Netanyahu. Israel should acknowledge the past expulsions of Palestinians. You condemn ethnic cleansing in other situations.

Vedant Patel: I understand your question, and I don’t have any additional comments to offer on that.

Sam Husseini: Can I have an answer next time?

Vedant Patel: Go ahead, Said. [Said Arikat asks about Russia.]

Related articles: “The Absurd US Stance on Israel’s Nukes: A Video Sampling of Denial” and “At State Dept: I Ask About Torture, Saudi Arabia and Israel”.