By Mohamed Ouhemmou

In one of his latest reflections on the outbreak of Coronavirus, the Palestinian-born editor-in-chief of Rai Al Youm newspaper, Abdel Bari Atwan has raised questions regarding the involvement of the United Stated in the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Atwan, a rabid opponent of US president Donald Trump, lashed out at Trump for using the term Chinese virus in reference to the coronavirus, which he branded as “very racist”.

Atwan went on to say “I do not rule out that his [Trump] government is behind spreading this virus.” He argued that in May of last year a major US army lab in Maryland that conducts research on biological warfare was mysteriously closed down, after 30.000 persons died because of a mysterious virus in the same state.

The government, he continued, claimed that they died of influenza while New York times, which raised questions about the US army involvement, interviewed the director the lab in question, but he refused to answer stating “it is a matter of national security and he cannot make a public statement.”

Atwan also stated that president Trump is trying through his racist and fearmongering discourse to divert the attention from the involvement of his own country by calling the coronavirus as “the China Virus.”

Atwan said that both the actions and the discourse of American officials indicate that the United States is somehow involved in the outbreak of the virus and confirmed the Chinese narrative that the United States Army brought the virus into China’s Wuhan as they participated in a military World Games.

Atwan also stressed that China has since the outbreak of the virus acted in the highest levels of responsibility and efficiency as it shut completely down the whole province of Wuhan to prevent the outbreak of the virus outside the province and outside China. He reminded that China also sent medical teams to held various European countries combat the Virus.

Striking a balance between the Chinese and the United States, Atwan said that US officials have acted irresponsibly and abandoned their responsibility to help other nations. According to him, The United States did nothing to help its strategic partners such as France, Italy, Spain and UK who are struggling to survive.