US says footage of Israeli soldiers performing Jewish rituals inside mosque in Jenin 'not appropriate'

WASHINGTON

The US said Thursday it was concerned about "not appropriate" social media footage that showed Israeli soldiers performing Jewish rituals inside a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin.

"I did see that video. That's obviously not appropriate," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in response to a question by Anadolu about US reaction to the footage.

"We were concerned when we saw the reports," said Miller, who indicated that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) has announced that the soldiers involved would be disciplined, calling it an "appropriate step for them to take."

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video of soldiers performing Jewish rituals inside a mosque in Jenin.

It shows an Israeli soldier reciting the Shema Yisrael prayer on the mosque’s loudspeaker. Another soldier is heard saying soldiers are inside a mosque in Jenin.