VIDEO: State Dept. Claims to Be Ignorant of Hannibal Directive
Israel's order to kill its own citizens was used on Oct. 7. Does it now also threaten captives in Gaza -- including US citizens?
See video:
On Tuesday at the State Department, I asked about the Hannibal Directive, its use on Oct. 7 and its possible continued use, including against US citizens being held captive in Gaza.
State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller claimed: “I am not familiar in any way with either that supposed directive or those reports.” As I attempted to press him on the issue, Miller quickly called on another journalist to talk about another subject. See transcript below.
Richard Silverstein reports: “The Hannibal Directive was invoked on 10/7 when Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships deliberately killed Israelis held hostage by Hamas.”
It appears this was the first time anyone has mentioned the Hannibal Directive at a State Department briefing:
But as several people pointed out online, it is actually discussed on the State Department website, making Miller’s denials seem more implausible.
Several reports are noted in the above video including Haaretz: “'Unlawful, Unethical, Horrifying': IDF Ethics Code Author on Alleged Use of 'Hannibal Directive' During Hamas Attack.”
Presuming Miller was feigning ignorance because he desperately wants to avoid addressing the topic, it may seem bizarre that the State Department spokesperson would tell me they don’t know about Israel’s Hannibal Directive — until you remember that they won’t acknowledge Israel’s nukes or its ongoing crimes against humanity.
Even allowing for the staggering corruptions of establishment media, it is remarkable how little coverage there has been of the Hannibal Directive, according to this simple search, the Washington Post has mentioned it exactly once:
See coverage of Hannibal Directive from the Electronic Intifada and accuracy.org.
Transcript via State Dept.:
Husseini: You talk about the hostages. Israel has a Hannibal Directive in which it has orders in place to kill at least its own soldiers, lest they fall into the hands of Palestinian groups. And there is substantial reporting that that, in fact, was utilized on October 7th – not just against Israeli soldiers but against civilians. Are we not now in a situation where Israel may be using the Hannibal Directive not just on Israeli civilians and military but on U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals?
Miller: So I am not familiar in any way with either that supposed directive or those reports. And so certainly —
Husseini: You’ve never heard of the Hannibal —
Miller: And so certainly would not want to comment on them.
Husseini: You’ve never heard of the Hannibal Directive?
Miller: Shaun, did you have a – do you want to – I thought you wanted to go out of the region?
Shaun Tandon [of AFP]: Sure. Julian Assange.
Miller: Yeah. (Laughter. )
(Miller would not respond to any of the questions regarding Assange and would not call on me on that round. I had wanted to press for an answer to the questions I asked last year.)
Fire him. State Dept. demonstrates again its incompetence and divorce from reality. No diplomacy, lack of demonstrated knowledge/skills/abilities, and undermining its stated mission, "To protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values and shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive."
https://www.state.gov/about/
They are basically lying sacks of shit. No wonder even Israelis are upset with lack of trying to get hostages back viz. from 8th October Hamas has been willing to trade hostages...that is what the whole mission was about.