Joe Biden strongly condemns attacks on Israel and states that US citizens have been among those currently kidnapped by Hamas.
President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he expects a strong response from Israel and stated that Americans are known to be among the captives taken by Hamas following its weekend-long assault. Biden was visibly upset and angrily denouncing the atrocity.
The president gave graphic accounts of the crimes committed by the militants, claiming that they had “massacred” and “butchered” innocent victims. There are currently 14 known American deaths, according to Biden.
It’s disgusting, he declared. “The most horrific outbursts of ISIS are reminiscent of the brutality and bloodthirstiness of Hamas.”
The 10-minute address seems to be intended to make sure that, in this dire crisis, there is minimal separation between the United States and Israel. The president spoke unequivocally about the attacks and did not advocate for Israel to exercise prudence in its response, other than for it to adhere to the law.
Recounting the attack’s “sheer evil” in graphic detail, Biden issued a warning to other regional governments not to intervene in the conflict in an attempt to take advantage of the circumstances.
After speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier, Biden provided his own assessment on what his nation would do in response.
From the State Dining Room, Joe Biden declared, “I told him that our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing.”
The admission made during Joe Biden’s speech that Americans are among the captives held by Hamas since the attack started on Saturday reinforced what administration officials had long known but had not officially acknowledged.
Later on Tuesday, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, stated that while the government believes “20 or more Americans” are missing from Israel, the number may not accurately represent the number of hostages held by Hamas. Additionally, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told CNN that the White House is in “active conversations” with Israel in an effort to free American nationals detained by Hamas.
“Wolf, we don’t know anything about their condition or whereabouts, or if they’re being transported. We also have to keep in mind that this is an active war zone, which makes any hostage recovery effort that much more difficult. “It’s early days right now.”
“It goes without saying that we will be formulating plans, exploring avenues, and figuring out how to get them back and reunited with their families.”
“Share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts,” Biden stated during his speech.
“As president, the safety of Americans held captive abroad is my top priority,” he declared.
Additionally, the president stated that he plans to ask Congress to give Israel greater funding so that it can support the defense of its people and territory. In order to prevent rockets from hitting Israeli territory, the Iron Dome air defense system is designed to shoot them out of the sky. He pledged that his administration will not let Israel run out of interceptors or ammo.
He declared, “This is about the security of our world, the security of the United States of America. It’s not about party or politics.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined Biden for his statements on Tuesday, which were his most significant since the early Saturday violent erupted.
The president spoke with Netanyahu over the phone just hours after hundreds of people were killed in a horrific Hamas attack on Israel. Since the violence started, he has had three conversations with him.
The president has not warned Biden’s counterpart against entering Gaza when he has raised the prospect of doing so, a US person briefed on the exchange said CNN. Biden’s counterpart is now recovering from one of the greatest attacks on his country in decades.
According to authorities, the president’s choice to refrain from pressuring Netanyahu to use caution in the immediate wake of the bombings is partly due to the severity and scope of Hamas’s vicious attack on Israel, which distinguishes this occasion.
“At this point, we are not advocating for restraint,” an official stated.
In his speech, Joe Biden emphasized that any reaction must respect the rule of law, citing this as the key distinction between the US and Israel and the Hamas fighters.
Terrorists deliberately target and murder civilians. We enforce the war laws. It is important. There is a distinction, stated Biden.
Sullivan later informed reporters that the two men “had the opportunity to talk through the difference between how we distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians and going full bore against Hamas terrorists.”
The president and his national security advisors are acutely aware of the increasing possibility that Israel may launch a ground invasion into Gaza. Officials have admitted over the last 48 hours how precarious that possibility places the administration. Generally speaking, wherever hostilities have arisen in the region, the US has always pushed for a ceasefire on all sides.
Officials stated that this time will be no different for the Joe Biden administration, which has historically placed a strong emphasis on managing such kinds of conversations in private. The phrase “ceasefire” was absent from Biden’s initial written statement over the weekend, which surprised both current and former administration officials.
In his remarks, Joe Biden compared the bloodshed perpetrated by Hamas to some of the deadliest ISIS atrocities in the past ten years.
According to Joe Biden, “This is terrorism, but sadly, for the Jewish people, it’s not new.” “The brutality of Hamas, this bloodthirstiness, brings to mind the worst, the worst rampages of ISIS.” “We must be very clear that we stand with Israel in this moment because this attack has brought up painful memories and the scars left by millennia of anti-Semitism and the genocide of the Jewish people.”
