The US State Department appointed former Ambassador David Satterfield, a Middle East humanitarian special envoy, on Sunday amid worsening Gaza conditions. Satterfield is an Arabic-speaking veteran who has served as ambassador in Lebanon and Turkey. The department said that he will “lead US diplomatic efforts to address the humanitarian crisis, including the influx of refugees, in Gaza”.
While mediating a border dispute with Israel in 2019, Satterfield was in Lebanon. AP Hassan Ammar
Fight misinformation by subscribing to Mother Jones Daily’s completely newsletter and keeping up with important news. Previous Ambassador David Satterfield was appointed as a special envoy for Middle East charitable issues by the US State Department on Sunday as the situation in Gaza deteriorated. The department stated that Satterfield, an experienced diplomat who speaks Arabic and has recently held the positions of ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey, will” lead US diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including work to facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people and promote the safety of civilians.” The appointment suggests that the US may be ready to apply some pressure to lessen the suffering its defense strikes have and will bring, despite the Biden administration’s public embrace of Jewish tactics since Hamas’ dangerous surprise attack.
Israel has stated that it is getting ready to start ground operations in Gaza right away. The United Nations has warned that it is” difficult for such a movement to take place without devastating charitable consequences.” Its airstrikes and the evacuation of more than 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza have already caused widespread displacement inside the Palestinian territory. Doctors in the besieged area have warned of a” catastrophe” after one week of intense bombardment, and human rights observers have pointed out water and basic supply shortages.
The more Arab innocents killed, the better for Irans and Hamas’ interests, Satterfield told BBC News on Tuesday,” if there is a significant Jewish ground incursion.”
David Satterfield has been named U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues by the @ POTUS, I announced today. He will coordinate with our partners to offer life-saving assistance to the most susceptible while leading efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
— October 15, 2023, Secretary Antony Blinken(@ SecBlinkEN )
Satterfield recently oversaw the international force in charge of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt while serving as assistant secretary of state and staff director for the National Security Council. Satterfield left his position as a special envoy for the Horn of Africa in April 2022 after serving there for just under two months. He then quickly took over as the director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Satterfield assisted in organizing an event at Rice this April to commemorate the state of Israel’s 75th anniversary. Tareq Baconi, president of the board of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, explained his decision to decline an invitation to participate in an open letter to Satterfield that was then published in Israeli Currents. He also criticized the conference agenda and the” joyous dinner” that had been scheduled to end the event.
According to Baconi, the” conference is set up to create an echo chamber of the worst kind, one that is sure to perpetuate a strictly Zionist ideology ,” and the panel’s only members would be five current or former American ambassadors to Israel. Baconi expressed his belief that he was put in an impossible position because the only guest on the draft agenda who could be expected to offer a Palestinian perspective was asked to” participate in the token even though the odds are stacked totally against us, or refuse to play the game— and have our refusal used to justify our continued subjugation.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated US support for Israel in his speech to the Egyptian media on Sunday. He also discussed halting the spread of the conflict and securing the release of Hamas hostages, including British citizens.
According to Blinken,” Israel has the right, in fact it has an obligation, to defend itself against these Hamas attacks and to do what it can to ensure that this always occurs again.” The way that Israel handles this matters, as I stated in Tel Aviv and as President Biden stated. Israel needs to carry out its actions in a way that upholds our shared values for individual life and dignity while taking all reasonable safety measures to protect civilians. Previous Ambassador David Satterfield was appointed as a special envoy for Middle East charitable issues by the US State Department on Sunday as the situation in Gaza deteriorated. The department stated that Satterfield, an experienced diplomat who speaks Arabic and has recently held the positions of ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey, will” lead US diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including.”
The US State Department appointed former Ambassador David Satterfield, a Middle East humanitarian special envoy, on Sunday amid worsening Gaza conditions. Satterfield is an Arabic-speaking veteran who has served as ambassador in Lebanon and Turkey. The department said that he will “lead US diplomatic efforts to address the humanitarian crisis, including the influx of refugees, in Gaza”.
Satterfield in Lebanon while mediating a 2019 border dispute with Israel.Hassan Ammar/AP. Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.. On Sunday, amid worsening conditions in Gaza, the US State Department named former Ambassador David Satterfield as a special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. Satterfield, an Arabic-speaking veteran diplomat who previously served as ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey, will, the department said, “lead US diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including work to facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people and promote the safety of civilians.” The appointment is an indication that, despite the Biden’s administration’s general embrace of Israeli tactics since Hamas’ deadly surprise attack, the US may be willing to apply some pressure to mitigate the suffering its military strikes have and will bring.. Israel has suggested it is preparing to imminently launch ground operations in Gaza. Its airstrikes and the evacuation it ordered of more than 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza have already resulted in widespread displacement inside the Palestinian territory, with the United Nations warning that it is “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.” After a week of heavy bombardment, doctors in the besieged area have warned of a “catastrophe,” and human rights observers have highlighted shortages of water and basic supplies.. “If there is massive Israeli ground incursion,” Satterfield told BBC News on Tuesday, “the more Palestinian innocents are killed, the better Hamas’ interests and Irans’ are served.”. Today I announced the @POTUS appointment of David Satterfield as U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues. He will lead efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and coordinate with our partners to provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable.. — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 15, 2023. Satterfield has previously acted an assistant secretary of state and a National Security Council staff director, and led the multinational force overseeing Israel and Egypt’s peace agreement. In April 2022, Satterfield stepped down as as a special envoy for the Horn of Africa after only a few months on the job, and soon assumed a position leading Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.. At Rice, Satterfield helped convene an event this April marking the 75th anniversary of the state of Israel. In an open letter to Satterfield published at the time in Jewish Currents, Tareq Baconi, president of the board of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, explained his decision to decline an invitation to participate, criticizing the conference agenda and a “celebratory dinner” planned to conclude the event.. The “conference is set up to create an echo chamber of the worst kind, one that is sure to perpetuate a strictly Zionist ideology,” Baconi wrote, citing a panel whose only members would be five current or previous American ambassadors to Israel. As the solitary guest included on the draft agenda who could be expected to offer a Palestinian perspective, Baconi explained that he felt he was placed in an impossible position: “either participate as a token even though the odds are stacked entirely against us, or refuse to play the game—and have our refusal used to justify our continued subjugation.”. Speaking to the press from Egypt on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reinforced US support of Israel and talked about preventing the conflict from spreading throughout the region and securing the release of hostages taken by Hamas, including American citizens.. “Israel has the right, indeed it has the obligation, to defend itself against these attacks from Hamas and to try to do what it can to make sure that this never happens again,” Blinken said. “As I said in Tel Aviv, as President Biden has said, the way that Israel does this matters. [Israel] needs to do it in a way that affirms the shared values that we have for human life and human dignity, taking every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”
