An American citizen residing in southern Lebanon has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, and the blame for his death has been placed both on Israel for its invasion of Lebanon and on the administration of President Joe Biden for not quickly evacuating U.S. citizens.
On Oct. 1, an Israeli airstrike killed American citizen Hajj Kamel Ahmad Jawad in his hometown of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.
Jawad's death was not reported by the federal government. Instead, Palestinian American Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) announced Jawad's passing the next day, Oct. 2. She said her office was in touch with Jawad's family, noting that he was her constituent.
The White House was later forced to acknowledge Jawad's death following Tlaib's announcement. However, the White House's statement regarding his killing refused to acknowledge that he died due to an Israeli airstrike.
"We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad and our hearts go out to his family and friends," said a White House spokesperson. "His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon."
A spokesperson for the Department of State even tried to claim that Jawad was not an American citizen, even though both his family and Tlaib's office confirmed that he was. The spokesperson claimed: "Our understanding [is that] he was a legal permanent resident, not an American citizen."
Jawad's family expresses support for Palestinians and Lebanese people against Israeli aggression
In a statement, Jawad's family described how he was in Nabatieh to take care of his elderly mother, and following the beginning of Israel's invasion he chose to dedicate his last days to supporting the people of the city.
"In his last days, he chose to stay near the main hospital in Nabatieh to help the elderly, disabled, injured and those who simply couldn't financially afford to flee," Jawad's family said. "He served as their guardian, provided them with food, mattresses and other comforts, and anonymously paid off their debts."
In their statement, Jawad's family also expressed solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians and Lebanese people who are currently dealing with "Israeli aggression."
"His life is one of over 50,000 lost at the hands of Israeli aggression across the Middle East," his family said. "The fact that he was an American citizen should not make his story more important than others."
In a separate statement, Jawad's daughter, Nadine Kamel Jawad, emphasized how her father's death should be seen as a consequence of Israeli violence.
"My father's story is not just about him; it's about a man who stood with the oppressed and dedicated [his life] to uplifting others," she said. "In his last moments, my father was calm. He emphasized our collective responsibility to help the oppressed. Even as he witnessed the destruction from the missiles falling all around him, his certainty in the importance of caring for the community – in any and every capacity possible – remained at the forefront."
U.S. fumbling evacuation of American citizens in Lebanon
As Israeli forces continue to pummel Beirut from the air and attempt to grind down Hezbollah in a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, the Biden administration is facing intense criticism for not being able to evacuate U.S. citizens still in Lebanon quickly.
Reports note how other countries, including China and Canada, have swiftly moved to evacuate their citizens – with some countries beginning evacuations even before Israel's invasion began. (Related: China warns citizens to leave Israel and Lebanon immediately as threat of full-scale war looms.)
Thousands of American citizens live and work in Lebanon. However, in a press briefing on Oct. 2, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the White House is still struggling "to make seats available or to find seats available on existing commercial flights."
"We have been able to identify over 800 seats over that time," said Miller. "A number of them have been used by American citizens… Not in all cases have they been filled. And then today we were able to organize a flight from Beirut to Istanbul to allow other American citizens to leave."
Tlaib herself has been struggling to provide the resources to at least 148 of her constituents attempting to evacuate Lebanon, including U.S. Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient Lance Cpl. Jad Haidar, his wife and his service dog.
"Lance Cpl. Haidar is among 148 residents we have been desperately trying to help evacuate from Lebanon. One of my constituents was already killed in an Israeli airstrike," said Tlaib. "The State Department is leaving Americans behind and failing to protect their citizens."
Tlaib said her office "has been desperately trying to help," and she feels that it is "disgraceful" that she and her staff have resorted to "begging" the Biden administration to help evacuate American citizens from Lebanon.
Watch this Oct. 1 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Health Ranger Mike Adams discusses the opening stages of Israel's invasion of Lebanon.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
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