The United States harshly criticized Richard Falk, U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, for asserting that the Boston Marathon attack occurred because of Israel and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

“The United States completely rejects the provocative and offensive commentary by Mr. Richard Falk,” Erin Pelton, spokesperson for the United States Mission to the United Nations, said in an April 23 statement.

“The United States,” she added, “has previously called for Mr. Falk’s resignation for his numerous outrageous statements, and these comments underscore once more the absurdity of his service as a U.N. Special Rapporteur.”

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice expressed similar sentiments. “Outraged by Richard Falk’s highly offensive Boston comments,” she wrote on Twitter. “Someone who spews such vitriol has no place at the U.N. Past time for him to go.”