US Ambassador Adds the West Bank and Gaza
The Claim
The Twitter account of the US ambassador to Israel changed its title to include the West Bank and Gaza.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users and news sites have posted on Twitter that the US Ambassador to Israel’s account had amended its title and bio, adding the West Bank and Gaza.
Less than an hour later it was changed again to reflect its old name of “US Ambassador to Israel.”
Some members of US Congress and the US Senate also took to Twitter to comment on the change in status, including Representative Ashley Hinson and Republican Senator Rick Scott.
Misbar’s Analysis
On January 20, 2021, around 17:00 (GMT), the @USAmbIsrael Twitter account did, in fact, change its title from “US Ambassador to Israel” to “US Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza”, shortly after David Friedman relinquished his position as US ambassador to the country following Biden’s inauguration. This was confirmed by the embassy, US house representatives, and several news sites. A US Embassy Spokesperson reaffirmed to NPR correspondent, Daniel Estrin, that the brief change did occur but that “It was an inadvertent edit, and not reflective of a policy change.”
After changing the title, some Twitter users praised the move as an indication that the Biden administration does not consider any parts of “the West Bank and Gaza” as Israeli territory, whilst others denounced it as hostility towards the Jewish state. Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida quickly accused the new administration of showing “hostility to Israel.” He tweeted that “There is no country of West Bank or Gaza, only territories that Israel has been willing for decades to negotiate sovereignty over but has been met with only hostility and terrorism.”
The move sparked controversy because, under the Trump administration, the US embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, drawing international condemnation. It combined the political affairs office with that of the US Consulate to Jerusalem which oversaw affairs in the West Bank and Gaza. However, following the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the US Ambassador’s official title was not changed to reflect the distinction between Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Biden has declared his intention to reignite relations with the Palestinian Authority, which were severed after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but the Wednesday name change appears to have been a mistake by an embassy staff member, rather than an explicit directive from the Biden Administration that would indicate a drastic policy shift in the region. As such, Misbar has found the claim to be true.
