Stuart Seldowitz
Stuart Seldowitz | |
|---|---|
 Seldowitz, in a 2023 recording | |
| Occupation(s) | Diplomat and Political Advisor |
Stuart Seldowitz is an American policy advisor that served in the administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, working at the U.S. State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003 and later as acting director at the National Security Council South Asia Directorate during the Obama presidency. Seldowitz was later revealed to harbor extremely prejudicial thoughts towards Muslims and possibly genocidal sentiment towards Palestinians.[1][2] He is married to Rosalinda Seldowitz, a team member of the European Delegation within the United Nations and previous secretary to a deputy negotiator during the Nuclear Space Talks held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1989. [citation needed]
Racist and Islamophobic Views[edit | edit source]
In November of 2023, he was filmed on multiple occasions employing extremely racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic language as he harassed Mohammed Hussein, a Muslim street cart vendor, in New York City. On at least one of these occasions he was also recorded encouraging the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, quoted saying "If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasn't enough. It wasn’t enough!”[1][3][4] His remarks were made in the context of the 2023 Israel War on Gaza, with the Palestinian civilian death toll nearing 20,000 and amid growing worldwide calls for a ceasefire. Numerous publications have pointed out what his tirade says about the true nature of US policy in the Middle East, given both his extremely racist, hateful views and the positions of power & influence that he held in key decision-making offices under multiple US administrations.[5]
In one of the videos posted to Twitter, Seldowitz was filmed threatening Mohammed Hussein and his family. “The Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents. Does your father like his fingernails? They’ll take them out one by one,” he said in between attempts by the vendor to get him to walk away. “You should learn English, it’ll help you when they deport you back to Egypt and the Mukhabarat wants to interview you.”
In another clip, Seldowitz asks the vendor if he “rapes his daughter,” derides the Quran and the Prophet Mohammed, and repeatedly called the Muslim vendor “a terrorist.”[6]
Subsequent arrest[edit | edit source]
On November 22, 2023, Seldowitz was arrested in New York City for his behavior that was caught on video on charges that included aggravated harassment and several counts of stalking.[7] In court, he was only formally charged with fourth-degree hate crime stalking and second-degree aggressive harassment for threatening to injure the Halal cart vendor's family.
Seldowitz did not spend long in jail; he had a court appearance the following day, where he pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance without bail. His lawyer, Scott Bookstein, told reporters “He’s a peace-loving person, devoid of hate from Muslims or anyone else,” before continuing “I want the court, the prosecution, the media and the public to know that the allegations attributed to my client are 100% antithetical to who Stuart Seldowitz is — what his core beliefs are,” adding that Stuart Seldowitz was “not a warmonger and an Islamophobe.”[8]
Denunciations[edit | edit source]
After the videos of Seldowitz's behavior went viral, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, both of whom previously expressed extremely Islamophobic and anti-Arab/anti-Palestinian sentiment just weeks earlier,[9] [10] denounced his behavior on social media, calling his remarks “vile.”[7]
Other Incidents[edit | edit source]
Seldowitz was investigated for defrauding the government by submitting altered travel vouchers with false lodging costs during his assignment in Geneva, leading to a settlement where he agreed to pay $15,000 in restitution. He later attempted to sue the State Department over this matter but lost the case.[11][citation needed]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Manisha Krishnan (2023-11-21). "Ex Obama Adviser Says Killing 4,000 Palestinian Children 'Wasn't Enough'". Vice. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ↑ Julian Roberts-Grmela (2023-11-21). "Gotham Government Relations cuts ties with former Obama administration official caught harassing halal cart vendor". City & State NY. New York City, NY. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ↑ @itslaylas (November 21, 2023). "This man wearing a green jacket was berating and harassing a halal cart vendor off 83rd and 2nd Ave in NYC. Does anyone know who this man is? Planning to report to the authorities" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-11-21 – via Twitter.
- ↑ @itslaylas (November 21, 2023). "this man is continuing to berate and harass the halal cart vendor. He ends the video with "if we killed 4,000 palestinian kids? It wasn't enough"" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-11-21 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Moustafa Bayoumi (November 28, 2023). "Stuart Seldowitz's hateful behavior is US foreign policy unmasked". the Guardian. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ↑ Justin Rohrlich (2023-11-22). Noor Ibrahim (ed.). "Food Vendor Harassed by Former Obama Adviser Becomes NYC Celebrity". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Erin Nolan (November 22, 2023). "Former State Dept. Official Arrested in Harassing of Halal Food Vendor". New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ↑ Jose Pagliery (November 23, 2023). "Islamophobic Ex-Obama Adviser Freed by Judge on Thanksgiving". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ↑ Zainab Iqbal (October 9, 2023). "Pro-Palestine protesters tell New York City Mayor Eric Adams: 'Shame on you'". Middle East Eye. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ↑ Aliss Higham (2023-10-08). "New York Palestinian support rally condemned by governor: "Repugnant"". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/heshamsabry01/status/1727151594423075271