In response to a query from JNS, the U.S. Justice Department amended a press release on Wednesday that refers to “Palestine” as a country.
The department added an asterisk and affixed a disclaimer that “this designation shall not be construed as recognition of a state of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the member states on this issue.”
Matthew Nies, a public affairs specialist at the Justice Department, told JNS that the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation drafted the press release. Europol, which led the international effort, added the same disclaimer to its release.
“The DOJ is not recognizing Palestine as a country,” Nies told JNS. “Europol led the operation and drafted the press release. We have updated our press release to include a disclaimer.”
The release is about a multinational operation against environmental crime and illegal waste trafficking, activities that authorities said are increasingly tied to organized crime networks. The U.S. Justice Department was on the steering committee of the effort and helped design and plan the operation, it said.
