US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides drew criticism over his initial response to Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack near Eli, drawing comparisons to the fierce gun battle between Israeli security forces in Jenin yesterday (Monday) in which seven soldiers were injured and six terrorists were killed.
“Deeply concerned about the civilian deaths and injuries that have occurred in the West Bank these past 48 hours, including that of minors. Praying for the families as they mourn the loss of loved ones, or tend to those injured,” Ambassador Nides wrote on Twitter Tuesday evening.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog joined the condemnation of Nides’ initial comments, which equated the casualties of a battle in which Israeli soldiers were ambushed and terrorists were killed and injured to the indiscriminate attack on civilians at a gas station and restaurant.
“Today, yet another heinous Palestinian terror attack claimed the lives of 4 innocent Israeli civilians. There is no justification whatsoever for the targeting and killing of innocent civilians. It must be unequivocally condemned. Any attempt of a so-called “balanced” condemnation is misguided and disrespectful to the memory of the victims,” Ambassador Herzog said.
“In recent months, terror activities in the northern part of the West Bank have escalated as the Palestinian Authority has lost effective security control. Jenin, where the IDF recently operated, has become an Iranian terror stronghold, located just minutes away from Israeli population centers. Replete with hundreds of armed terrorists and laboratories working to produce lethal explosive devices and rockets, this “capital” of terror has become the main springboard of terror attacks against Israelis.
“Israel will do whatever it takes to protect Israeli citizens and stop this wave of terror,” the ambassador concluded.

Following the criticism, Nides issued a new tweet in which he wrote: “I condemn in the strongest terms the senseless murder of four innocent Israelis today &mdash my heart is with their grieving family members.”