‘Israel has the right to defend itself’ – US on Jenin raid

State Department backs Israeli raid that eliminated six terrorists, but pushes “cycle of violence” narrative that doesn’t distinguish between deaths of terrorists in firefights with IDF and Israeli civilians murdered by terrorists.

By World Israel News Staff

The Biden administration publicly supported an anti-terror raid carried out by the IDF in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Jenin on Tuesday. Six men, who were members of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups, were killed in the raid.

“Israel, as we have made the point before, has the legitimate right to defend its people and its territory against all forms of aggression, including, of course, those from terrorist groups,” U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

“And we’ve…seen far too many vivid illustrations of the terrorist threat that Israel faces, including in recent days,” he added, referring to an uptick in terror attacks that saw 13 Israelis killed in a month-long span.

Price said that the U.S. was worried about both Palestinian and Israeli deaths in recent weeks. “We remain deeply concerned by the sharp rise in violence in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], and we continue to urge the parties to take immediate steps to prevent the further loss of life,” he said.

Price did not distinguish between the deaths of terrorists killed in firefights with Israeli troops and innocent Israeli civilians who were intentionally murdered, instead framing de-escalation as the responsibility of both sides in the conflict.

“Israelis and Palestinians must take steps on an urgent basis to de-escalate tensions, to restore calm and to put an end to this cycle of violence that has taken the lives of far too many on both sides,” Price said.