Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu-Zuhri has described comments made by Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, as “shameful” and “hostile.”
Abu-Zuhri wrote on Twitter:
“Greenblatt’s remarks that the West Bank is not occupied and the settlements are Israeli neighborhoods are shameful and proves that Trump’s administration is hostile to the Palestinians and the Umma [Muslim nation].”
Astonishing: US envoy Jason Greenblatt says israel is the "victim".. [despite that it's a murderous, occupying, lawless, apartheid regime] https://t.co/zCJkEP7Ncf
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) July 18, 2019
This comes after Greenblatt earlier this week told PBS network that “Israel is a victim and does not bear the responsibility” for its 71-year-old conflict with the Palestinians.
Greenblatt also rejected labeling Israel’s some 500 illegal West Bank communities “settlements”, calling them “neighborhoods” instead, and claiming that the occupied West Bank is “disputed”.
Top envoy to US President Donald Trump, Jason Greenblatt, says he prefers to call Israel’s illegal settlements “neighborhoods and cities” https://t.co/r5KevHxKMu #palestine pic.twitter.com/N0FBRf2wSW
— Al-Shabaka الشبكة (@AlShabaka) July 1, 2019
This is not the first time Greenblatt has drawn sharp criticism from the Palestinian factions. He has previously come under fire for criticizing the Palestinian Authority (PA) for failing to pay for a Palestinian child’s medical treatment while ignoring Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, and for backing US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman’s comments that Israel has the “right” to annex the occupied West Bank.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
