In an an “inadvertent mistake” by the State Department, a clip of Trump’s foreign trip omitted his mention of Israel.
The US State Department was criticized Monday for a tweet by its embassy in Saudi Arabia that omitted President Donald Trump’s plan to visit Israel later this month, following his stop in Saudi Arabia.
The tweet, which was sent out by the Arabic-language Twitter handle @USAinKSA, included a now-removed video clip of Trump’s announcement on his first foreign trip, omitting Trump’s mention of the Israel portion of his trip, but including the president’s scheduled stops in Saudi Arabia and Rome.
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia is currently headed by Christopher Henzel, a leftover from the Obama administration who is waiting his replacement by a Trump appointee.
Democrats serving on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee later posted a video highlighting the difference between White House and Saudi embassy clips featuring Trump’s remarks.
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the Foreign Affairs Committee’s top-ranking Democrat, wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that he was “appalled that the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia disingenuously posted this incomplete and misleading video.”
“This video plays into a rejectionist narrative and thus has no place in any social media—or any other form of communication—associated with the United States government,” Engel wrote.
After the tweet’s removal, a State Department official told Politico it was an “inadvertent mistake.”
“The US Embassy in Riyadh shared a version of the video announcement from a private Saudi citizen’s social media account. Unknowingly, the shared version had been edited to remove the word ‘Israel,’” a State Department official said. “Upon learning this, the US Embassy immediately corrected the error, took down the video and loaded the correct version to its social media accounts.”
On his first trip abroad as president, Trump plans to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican.
Trump will then travel to Brussels for a NATO meeting, followed by Sicily for a meeting of the G-7 nations before returning to the US.
By: JNS.org and United with Israel Staff
Subscribe to Our FREE Newsletter for More Great Stories Like This One
United with Israel publishes stories like this every day. We believe that our work allows a more balanced view of Israel to emerge. With so much anti-Israel media bias out there from outlets like CNN and the BBC, helping the Holy Land means getting our message out to as many people as possible.
You can help.
Subscribe to our free newsletter to ensure that you get the latest and best stories from United with Israel. Together we can make a difference, and it starts with communication.
Source: United with Israel
