Biden draws moral equivalency between Palestinian terror attacks and settlers’ response

“We urge all parties to counter all forms of violence and refrain from actions that inflame tensions.”

By World Israel News Staff

The Biden administration drew parallels between Palestinian terror attacks and settler violence on Monday, during a week that three Israelis murdered in terror shootings.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield expressed her concerns at the United Nations Security Council’s monthly discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The U.S. remains deeply concerned by violence in the West Bank and Israel and we express our condolences to those killed,” she said.

Her statement came on the same day an Israeli vehicle was targeted by Palestinian terrorists, resulting in the murder of a preschool teacher in front of her six-year-old daughter, and serious injuries to the driver.

On Saturday, a father and son were gunned down at a car wash in the Palestinian terror town of Huwara.

Addressing these events, Thomas-Greenfield stated, “We [the U.S.] strongly condemn Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis, including this morning’s shooting attack near Hebron.”

She also touched upon a contentious episode outside the village of Burka, which led to the death of 19-year-old Palestinian resident, Kusai Jamal Ma’atan, allegedly by a settler. Details of this incident remain disputed. Israelis involved claim they acted in self-defense during an assault on a shepherd.

Despite the ambiguity, the U.S. labeled the incident as a terror attack, a stance reiterated by Thomas-Greenfield on Monday. “We strongly condemn the terror attacks by settlers in Burka on August 4th that killed a 19-year-old Palestinian,” she emphasized.

Highlighting the importance of de-escalation, Thomas-Greenfield urged both sides to take immediate action. She proposed increased cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security forces. “We urge all parties to counter all forms of violence and refrain from actions that inflame tensions,” she said, pointing to “settlement activity, evictions [of Palestinians] and the demolition of Palestinian homes.”

Additionally, she appealed to the Palestinian Authority to stop its so-called pay-for-slay program rewarding convicted terrorists and their families with a monthly stipend.