Blinken repeatedly heckled over US support for Israel in wake of ceasefire deal
Secretary of State Antony Blinken's farewell news conference on Thursday was eclipsed by chaos after he was interrupted multiple times by outbursts from two attendees, one of whom was forcibly removed from the State Department's briefing room as Blinken tried to speak.
Several times during Blinken's opening remarks, two members of the audience repeatedly interjected with shouted questions about U.S. support for Israel and conditions in Gaza, and, at times, personal attacks aimed at Blinken and other State Department officials.
Blinken tried to quiet the room, repeatedly saying he looked forward to answering questions once he completed his prepared speech.
"We'll have an opportunity to take questions in just a few minutes," he said.
But when the hecklers continued shouting, State Department employees intervened.
One of the hecklers, the founder and editor of the Grayzone website, Max Blumenthal, was led out of the room by two State Department staff members.
The other, political writer Sam Husseini, refused to leave -- telling a State Department official who asked him to exit to "go away."
Six State Department security officers then entered the briefing room to remove Husseini, who gripped the edge of a table as three of the officers picked him up and carried him off.
"Get your hands off of me!" Husseini shouted.
"Respect the process," Blinken said from the podium.
"Criminal! Why aren't you in the Hague?" Husseini responded as the guards took him out of the room.
Blumenthal's online news site, The Grayzone, is often described as fringe and far left and has been accused by experts and other media outlets of spreading disinformation.
Husseini is an independent journalist known for frequently interrupting State Department briefings.
In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, Blinken has become no stranger to outbursts from protesters. His public hearings on Capitol Hill and speeches at think tanks across Washington are frequently delayed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
However, this is the first known instance that Blinken has been interrupted in this fashion during an event held at the State Department.
Members of the news media who attend briefings at the State Department are required to present a valid press identification card, but the department's rules for admittance are more lenient than many other Washington entities that frequently hold news conferences such as the White House and the Pentagon.
The Biden administration has faced consistent criticism for its military and political support for Israel through its war against Hamas. In the runup to the 2024 election, the president’s pro-Israel stance sparked the “Uncommitted National Movement”—a push encouraging voters to hold back supporting any political candidate in order to pressure Biden to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
Blinken repeatedly heckled over US support for Israel in wake of ceasefire deal originally appeared on abcnews.go.com