In sync with the timing of the Biden administration’s inauguration, the Twitter account for the U.S. ambassador to Israel was altered to include Gaza & the West Bank; Embassy spokeswoman claims it had nothing to do with incoming policy.
Amid the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, the Twitter account belonging to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel had its title altered to U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. This, of course, led to immediate backlash from people around the world. However, the title was changed back rather quickly after the criticism ensued.
This came about following the dismissal of David Friedman as the US ambassador to Israel on Wednesday. Interestingly enough, initial assumptions were that the Biden administration made the call to implement this change. However, the embassy’s site had not been changed. A spokeswoman belonging to the embassy did state that it was an “inadvertent” edit and claimed it was “not a policy change or indication of future policy change.”
US Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) responded to the change on Twitter explaining, “The Biden Admin title change for the @USAmbIsrael shows the Democrats’ hostility to Israel. There is no country of West Bank or Gaza, only territories that Israel has been willing for decades to negotiate sovereignty over but has been met with only hostility and terrorism.”
A thorough explanation as to why the title changed is yet to be presented.
The Trump administration is considered to be the most pro-Israel administration to ever control the White House, which can be seen in its efforts related to Israel and the Middle East. Most notably, the Trump administration is responsible for the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which was conveyed in the relocation of the US embassy there.
According to incoming Secretary of State Tony Blinken, the new administration has no plans to relocate the embassy.
