America’s top envoy to Israel said “reckless and irresponsible reporting” about Gaza by major outlets like The New York Times and CNN is contributing to a wave of antisemitic violence in the U.S., including Sunday’s attack on a group of marchers in Colorado.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee specifically accused the media of accepting at face value claims in recent days from Hamas that Israeli forces killed several Palestinians seeking assistance from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund.
He said drones at the scene and eyewitness testimony showed there were no fatalities or injuries, although several top U.S. news organizations reported that Israel had killed dozens of Palestinians lined up for aid.
“It is Hamas that continues to terrorize and intimidate those who seek food aid,” Mr. Huckabee said in a message posted on the embassy’s website.
“The only source for these misleading, exaggerated, and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas sources, which are designed to fan the flames of antisemitic hate that is arguably contributing to violence against Jews in the United States.”
He stated that the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund has resulted in over 5 million meals being provided to Palestinian civilians without incident.
Media organizations that “willingly parrot” allegations from the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza should recant their past coverage based on these claims, Mr. Huckabee said.
The Islamist terror group continues to hold innocent hostages more than 600 days after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Mr. Huckabee said.
“It represents more than mere sloppy journalism. It’s feeding and inciting violence against innocent people in the United States,” he said.
On Sunday, a man identified by authorities as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, used a homemade flamethrower and Molotov cocktails in Boulder, Colorado, to attack a group of people commemorating hostages still being held inside the Gaza Strip.
The shirtless man yelled “free Palestine” and “we have to end Zionists” as he began tossing the flaming bottles into the crowd, according to videos posted on social media by eyewitnesses.
Mr. Soliman was taken into custody by police.
“This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically-motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said late Sunday on X.
The attack in Boulder happened less than two weeks after two staffers at the Israeli embassy in Washington were gunned down by a man who told police he did it “for Palestine” and “for Gaza.”
Authorities said 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez chanted “free, free Palestine” as officers were arresting him in the shooting death of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgram, 26.
The young couple was engaged to be married. Federal prosecutors are considering filing terrorism charges against Mr. Rodriguez, which could result in the death penalty.
The Anti-Defamation League said it is closely monitoring the ongoing investigation into Sunday’s incident.
“This is the second violent attack on the U.S. Jewish community in two weeks. First, a young couple slaughtered in Washington, D.C. Now, a firebomb thrown at a group in Boulder, Colorado, as they gathered to express solidarity with the 58 hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists,” said ADL National Director Jonathan Greenblatt.
The wave of antisemitic violence isn’t confined to the U.S. The ADL said they’re witnessing a global campaign of intimidation and terror directed against Jews. In the space of a few days, Jewish youth in London were assaulted, while synagogues, a Holocaust memorial, and a kosher restaurant in Paris were vandalized.
“Elected officials, community groups, media platforms, faith leaders — they all need to commit to taking action before this crisis escalates even further,” Mr. Greenblatt said.
