Many Jewish and non-Jewish detractors have criticized Tom Nides, the US ambassador to Israel, for his insensitive tweet that compared Israeli victims of the terrorist incident near Eli on Tuesday to Arab terrorists.
Even the Israeli ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, criticized it in a rare instance.
Following the horrific lethal attack in which two Palestinian terrorists cruelly murdered four Jews (HY”D), Nides tweeted several hours later that he was “very disturbed about the civilian murders and injuries that have occurred in the West Bank these past 48 hours, particularly that of youngsters.”
“Praying for the families as they grieve the loss of loved ones or care for those injured,” he continued.
Outside of Eli, one terrorist was put to death at the scene, and the other perished while attempting to flee.
Israel stormed the terrorists’ residences in Jenin earlier this week.
Herzog tweeted in apparent retaliation to Nides: “Any attempt of a so-called ‘balanced’ condemnation is wrong and disrespectful to the memory of the victims.
He wrote: “Terror activities in the northern West Bank have increased in recent months as the Palestinian Authority has lost effective security control.”
“Jenin, where the IDF recently conducted operations, has developed into an Iranian terror bastion only a short drive from Israeli urban areas.
This “capital” of terror, home to hundreds of armed terrorists and factories producing deadly explosives and rockets, has evolved into the principal launchpad for terrorist attacks against Israelis. Israel will take any necessary measures to safeguard Israeli civilians and end this wave of terror.
The following quote was tweeted by Newsweek’s Senior Editor at Large Josh Hammer: “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.”
Disgusting and shameful, he continued. Yet predictable as well.
A critical opinion piece titled “Ambassador Nides Owes Jews an apology” was written by renowned and outspoken author and educator Rabbi Elchanan Poupko.
The American Ambassador Tom Nides’ response, he said, “has caused a great deal of damage and pain that needs to be repaired.”
A statement that mentions terrorists killed by the IDF in the same sentence as young Jews killed while eating inside a hummus restaurant is, first and foremost, an insult to the victims and their families, the speaker said.
“It is disrespectful to the Israeli soldiers who put their lives in danger day and night to safeguard every human life. It is rude to the neighborhoods where children, friends, neighbors, and family have died or been hurt.
The author concluded, “Ambassador Nides must offer an apology 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.”
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