White House Social Media Director Says Trump Will Travel To ‘Palestine’
Image by YouTube
By Aiden Pink May 12, 2017
Update, 5:01 p.m.: The post in question was edited to refer to “Palestinian Territories.”
President Trump’s upcoming foreign tour later this month, his first trip abroad since his inauguration, will take him to many locations, including Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican. Also on his agenda, according to the White House’s director of social media: “Palestine.”
Dan Scavino, who worked as general manager of Trump National Golf Club Westchester before serving as Trump’s social media manager, promoted Trump’s travel on his personal Facebook page. Trump is scheduled to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, which the United States recognizes as being part of the Palestinian Authority. But Scavino’s summary of the trip referred instead to “Palestine.”
Image by Facebook
Neither the United States nor Israel recognizes Palestine as a country.
“Even Obama didn’t say this. What the actual hell,” remarked conservative Jewish commentator Ben Shapiro.
In Scavino’s defense, he may not have intended to imply that Palestine is a country, as Rome, Brussels and Sicily are not countries either. But many of President Trump’s most prominent Jewish backers strongly believe that a state of Palestine has never existed and should never exist.
Scavino’s post was first noticed by Adam Kredo of the Washington Free Beacon.
Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink.
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