White House Finally Chimes In On Missing Israelis

Washington, June 19 – First Lady Michelle Obama stepped into the political fray over the three kidnapped Israeli teens today, posting a photo to Twitter with her holding a sign referring to the abduction. The content of the sign served as both an expression of the first couple’s views on the matter and an explanation of why they had remained unresponsive until now.

In remaining silent, the president and his wife had demonstrated a dramatic contrast to their earlier response to the kidnapping of more than two hundred Nigerian schoolgirls last month. At the time, Mrs. Obama was quick to join an international grassroots movement using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, including the posting of an image to Twitter that featured her holding a sign with the hashtag. However, no such reaction had been forthcoming in the wake of the kidnapping last week of the three Israeli boys, one of whom is an American citizen.

The White House’s eventual response involved a similarly composed photo of the First Lady, but this time with the hashtag #TheyreJustJews. With the image, the Obamas sought to allay criticism over their perceived insensitivity to the plight of the teens, their families, and Israel as a whole.

“As far as the president and his wife are concerned, the noise being made right now in social media and in some circles of the press and diplomatic world is simply out of place,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “There is no comparison with the kidnapped Nigerian girls, who are not Jewish. Had they been Jewish, you may rest assured the president and First Lady would have ignored them just as assiduously.”

With the belated response, the US has joined the ranks of several other countries and international organizations with similar reaction times. The European Union finally issued a call for the boys’ release, while the United Nations is still holding out. The Secretary-General initially condemned the abduction, but yesterday backtracked and called into question whether in fact the teens had been kidnapped. It remains unclear whether he has uploaded a #TheyreJustJews image to his Twitter feed.