US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s final press conference was interrupted on Thursday by two journalists who blasted him over the US’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza before they were forcibly removed from the State Department’s press briefing room.
The journalists repeatedly interrupted Blinken within the first 15 minutes of his hour-long press conference. The outgoing Secretary of State asked both men to hold their questions until later, but they persisted until security guards came to take them away.
“Why did you keep the bombs flowing?” Max Blumenthal, editor of the Grayzone, an online news site, shouted at Blinken from the back of the press room. “Why did you sacrifice the rules-based order on the mantle of your commitment to Zionism?”
As Blumenthal was escorted out of the room by security, he continued to accost Blinken.
“You helped destroy our religion Judaism by associating it with fascism…your father-in-law was an Israel lobbyist, your grandfather was an Israel lobbyist…Why did you allow the holocaust of our time to happen? How does it feel to let your legacy be genocide?”
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Blinken is a Jewish American. His grandfather, Maurice Blinken, was born in Kyiv, which was then part of Russia. He immigrated to the US and graduated from New York University in 1921 and its law school in 1924. He founded the American Palestine Institute after WWII, a Zionist organisation that advocated for the economic viability of a Jewish state in Mandatory Palestine.
‘You smirked through a genocide’
As Blumenthal reached the door, he appeared to direct his screams at Matthew Miller, the outgoing spokesman for the US State Department. “You too Matt,” he shouted. “You smirked through the whole thing every day. You smirked through a genocide.”
Blinken did not address Blumenthal’s remarks and went on with his statement. A few moments later, Sam Husseini, another journalist, began berating Blinken with questions.
“I’m happy to address questions in a few more minutes,” Blinken responded.
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Husseini continued shouting, mentioning Israel’s “nuclear weapons”, then saying, “I was sitting here quietly and now I’m being manhandled by two or three people,” referring to security guards who physically carried him out of the room.
“You pontificate about a free press!” he shouted.
“Criminal! Why aren’t you in the Hague?” referring to the city where the International Criminal Court is located.
Blinken remained silent through the heckling. He then continued the press conference and, shortly after, took questions from several journalists in the crowd.
The Biden administration has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, scholars and human rights organisations over its support for Israel since the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel.
Blinken has specifically earned the scorn of protestors. He has been frequently heckled at appearances in Washington, and demonstrators camped outside his Virginia home for months, throwing red paint on cars carrying his family.
Asked by one reporter if he had any regrets about not enforcing red lines on Israel, Blinken said the Biden administration’s policies “were basically supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis after the trauma of October 7”.
