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'Criminal, you belong to ICJ': Antony Blinken heckled by journalists on Gaza policy during his last conference
Antony Blinken, who is set to leave office after Trump's inauguration has been under tight scrutiny for providing Israel with weapons and diplomatic support
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday found himself at the centre of stark criticism from journalists and critics who vehemently slammed the Biden administration's foreign policy on the Gaza conflict. Blinken was delivering his final press conference.
"Criminal! You belong in The Hague," shouted Sam Husseini while condemning Blinken's handling of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Reuters reported.
Husseini’s outburst referred to The Hague, where lies the International Criminal Court. This is where Israel is facing accusations of genocide and war crimes for its military offensive in Gaza.
After Husseini's outburst, security personnel quickly intervened and took him away from the room as he continued his protest.
The extraordinary scene unfolded at the State Department where several journalists were repeatedly interrupting Blinken's final press conference as he sought to defend his handling of Israel's 15-month war with Hamas.
"Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?" Max Blumenthal, editor of the Grayzone, an outlet that strongly criticized many aspects of US foreign policy, called out to Blinken before he was escorted out.
Antony Blinken's reaction
Blinken, who is set to leave office on January 20 after Trump's inauguration has been under tight scrutiny for providing Israel with weapons and diplomatic support since the onset of the Hamas conflict.
Blinken has been frequently heckled at appearances in Washington since the Gaza conflict began. Demonstrators camped outside his Virginia home for months and repeatedly threw red paint - resembling blood - on cars carrying Blinken and his family.
Today, he calmly asked for quiet while he delivered his remarks, and later took questions from reporters.
"I'd also point out that in Israel itself, there are hundreds of cases being investigated," Blinken added, referring to internal Israeli inquiries into potential violations of international law.
"They have a process, they have procedures, they have rule of law... That's the hallmark of any democracy."
Asked during the press conference if he would change anything about his dealings with Israel, Blinken said the Israeli government had carried out policies that "were supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis after the trauma of October 7" and said that had to be factored into the US response.
