After Israel warned Palestinians at midnight on Friday to evacuate northern Gaza within 24 hours, the State Department circulated internal memos to its officials warning them against using the phrases “de-escalation/ceasefire;” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm,” the Huffington Post reports.
The memo indicates that the US does not plan to call on Israel to exercise restraint when responding to the Hamas onslaught.
XXXXXXXXXX.
Simplified statement.
As Israel escalates its attacks on Gaza, the State Department is discouraging diplomats working on Middle East issues from making public statements suggesting the U.S. wants to see less violence, according to internal emails viewed by HuffPost.
In messages circulated on Friday, State Department staff wrote that high-level officials do not want press materials to include three specific phrases: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm
