(JNi.media) US Department of State Spokesman John Kirby used his Twitter account to retract a comment he had made on Wednesday which suggested the Administration is accusing Israel of violating the status quo on the Temple Mount.
During his Wednesday press briefing, Kirby was asked if the Administration believed that visits to the Temple Mount by Israelis constituted an incitement of Arab violence. Trying to avoid putting the blame for the riots directly on Israel—which many media outlets, especially in the Arab world, had done—Kirby stated instead that, essentially, Secretary of State John Kerry also believes it’s Israel’s fault.
“I’m not going to be able to characterize every single act with terminology,” Kirby said, then added: “What the secretary has said and stands by is that we want to see the status quo restored, the status quo arrangement there on Haram al-Sharif and the Temple Mount.”
A reporter asked Kirby if the administration believed the status quo had been broken, he stated, “Well, certainly, the status quo has not been observed, which has led to a lot of the violence.”
That was a complete lie, as the Netanyahu government has been invested throughout the violent period since the eve of Rosh Hashanah, when the first Israeli was killed by Arab stone throwers, in maintaining the status quo with an iron fist—including randomly preventing religious Jews form setting foot on the Temple Mount, and forcibly removing Jews who dared move their lips soundlessly.
Kirby’s comments were unfair, and out of step with the Administration, which has avoided saying the status quo had been violated. In essence, Kirby was justifying the Arab terrorists’ rage, if not their actions, because he supported their claim that they were defending the Al Aqsa Mosque status from being violated.
A few hours later, after Israeli and Jordanian officials insisted he had caused a blunder that could throw the area into a renewed cycle of rage, Kirby Tweeted: “Clarification from today’s briefing: I did not intend to suggest that status quo at Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif has been broken. We welcome both Israel’s & Jordan’s commitment to continued maintenance of status quo at Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.”
But at this point we know what he actually believed when he issued his flippant response to a reporter.