US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s final press conference was interrupted on Thursday by two journalists who blasted him over the US’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza before they were forcibly removed from the State Department’s press briefing room.

"Why did you keep the bombs flowing?” Max Blumenthal, editor of the Grayzone, an online news site, shouted at Blinken from the back of the press room. “Why did you sacrifice the rules-based order on the mantle of your commitment to Zionism?”

“You helped destroy our religion Judaism by associating it with fascism…your father-in-law was an Israel lobbyist, your grandfather was an Israel lobbyist…Why did you allow the holocaust of our time to happen? How does it feel to let your legacy be genocide?”

As Blumenthal reached the door, he appeared to direct his screams at Matthew Miller, the outgoing spokesman for the US State Department. “You too Matt,” he shouted. “You smirked through the whole thing every day. You smirked through a genocide.”

Husseini continued shouting, mentioning Israel’s “nuclear weapons”, then saying, “I was sitting here quietly and now I’m being manhandled by two or three people,” referring to security guards who physically carried him out of the room.

"Criminal! Why aren’t you in the Hague?” referring to the city where the International Criminal Court is located.

The Biden administration has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, scholars and human rights organisations over its support for Israel since the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel.

Asked by one reporter if he had any regrets about not enforcing red lines on Israel, Blinken said the Biden administration’s policies “were basically supported by an overwhelming majority of Israelis after the trauma of October 7”.