Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu’s recent video where he accuses the Palestinians of advocating the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the disputed territories has apparently turned into a political football with the US.
The Independent reports on criticism of the State Department’s negative reaction to the video from the Donald Trump campaign. It included the following paragraph:
Israel doesn’t have to “claim” that Jews have been living there for thousands of years. History and archaeology prove it.
It is only during short periods of time such as the Jordanian occupation of the West Bank from 1948-67 that Jews have not lived continuously there. Whether one agrees or disagrees with current Israeli settlement policies is irrelevant.
The Independent had effectively questioned the very credibility and legitimacy of Jewish history in the region.
We contacted editors at The Independent and they agreed that the paragraph was problematic, removing it in its entirety.
