Jan. 31, 2023

Violence in Jerusalem sparks political controversy in Iraq

Iraq/Politics

The story: Iraq’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahhaf is under fire for having referred to violence in Jerusalem as terrorism. While Sahhaf promptly revised his remarks amid reported calls for his dismissal, the debacle has triggered an outpouring of support for Palestinians among prominent Iraqi political figures—including supporters of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani. 

The coverage: Sahhaf on Jan. 28 condemned a “terrorist attack” in Jerusalem as having left a number of Palestinians dead and injured.

  • The foreign ministry statement raised eyebrows since it was a 21-year-old Palestinian who had on Jan. 27 shot dead seven Israelis in East Jerusalem.

  • The apparent motive for the East Jerusalem attack was revenge for the killing earlier on the same day of nine Palestinians in an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Iran-backed outlets promptly slammed Sahhaf for having referred to a “terrorist attack” as having...

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Amwaj.media
Amwaj.media
فارسیPersian
فارسیPersian
عربيArabic
عربيArabic