State Department's Tammy Bruce Asked About Israeli Settler Violence Against Christians In West Bank

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During a press briefing on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce was asked about Israeli settler violence against Christians in the occupied West Bank.

Transcript

00:00Can I just come back with one other issue which is about the town of Taipei in the West Bank

00:05in which there are around 300 US citizens, a Christian town. The priest there said that

00:11it's come under sustained settler attack. There was an arson attack on one of the holy sites at

00:16the beginning of this week and they feared that the church there could have caught fire.

00:24It was extinguished. Is there, and I have contacted the Jerusalem embassy, but has there

00:29been any outreach from the U.S. embassy to the town? Is there any support for the U.S. citizens there?

00:35MS. Well, I can't comment on the actions we've taken, even if they're phone calls.

00:43What I do want to note, of course, is the crying we have made of civilians, innocent people being

00:53hurt in this process. We also – so obviously we're concerned when we hear about anyone being targeted,

01:03let alone Christians in this case, that the president has made it clear his feelings on that issue writ large.

01:13And it's difficult, all of this. It's war. It's war manifesting in very different contexts within that region,

01:23but also other places around the world. President Trump has long established – and I know Secretary Rubio

01:29concurs – that protecting Christians is a priority, as seen through his executive order against anti-Christian bias.

01:37We do condemn – so there's no confusion – criminal violence by any party in the West Bank and support

01:44actions to ensure all civilians, including Christian civilians, remain safe. In the meantime, though, also,

01:51we would refer you to the Government of Israel regarding security incidents and the IDF posture in the

01:58West Bank in this regard. All right, yes. MS. Thank you, Connie. I'm just circling back.

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