WaPo condemned for criticizing parents of US-Israeli hostage

The Washington Post came in for a flurry of criticism after the paper on Friday criticized the parents of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra for failing to highlight “Israel’s assault on Gaza” during their address to the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.

In a social media post, the Post also described Neutra, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 massacre, as “missing.”

“Omer Neutra has been missing since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel,” the paper wrote on X. “When his parents speak publicly, they don’t talk about Israel’s assault on Gaza that has killed over 38,000 Palestinians, according to local officials. Experts have warned of looming famine.”

Orna and Ronen Neutra spoke at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin last Wednesday night. Among those present in the hall were presidential candidate Donald Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, J.D. Vance.

“For 285 long days and nights, Hamas terrorists have been holding Omer in prisons in tunnels underneath Gaza,” said Orna. “He was born in New York City, one month after 9/11. Eight months pregnant, I walked across the Queensborough Bridge towards home that day. And here we are, 23 years later, and he’s the victim of another vile terrorist attack.”

During the speech, the entire crowd chanted repeatedly, “Bring them home.”

“Oct. 7 was not merely an attack on Israel. This was, and remains, an attack on Americans,” said Ronen.

“President Trump told us personally right after the attack when Omer was taken captive. We know he stands with the American hostages,” he added.

New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres took the Post to task, tweeting: “That the Washington Post would shame the parents of Omer Neutra for keeping their focus on the captivity of their son is beneath contempt.

“There is a taboo against any acknowledgment of Israeli victimhood because the Narrative, as opposed to the Truth, demands that Israel be seen only as the villain,” he continued. “The willful amnesia about October 7th is no accident. Denial follows inevitably from demonization.”

The Israeli embassy in Washington tweeted: “This isn’t a game of hide and seek. Omer was KIDNAPPED to GAZA by HAMAS TERRORISTS and has been held captive in unimaginable conditions for over 9 months.”

After an outcry, the Post published a new tweet. “Omer Neutra, an American hostage in the Israel-Hamas war, has been missing since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. His parents have mounted a relentless effort to get him released, speaking to anyone who might be able to support their cause,” it read.

In a separate post, the outlet added: “We’ve deleted a previous tweet for this story that mischaracterized the efforts of Neutra’s parents.”

Anti-Defamation League head Jason Greenblatt nevertheless noted: “In what world did anyone find it acceptable to publish in the first place? And to add insult to injury, the article cites ‘local officials,’ aka the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas—the terror organization that launched the barbaric 10/7 massacre that led to the ongoing war.”

The American Jewish Committee wrote: “How could this tweet have been posted? Shame on @WashingtonPost for calling the Neutra’s morality into question.”