President Joe Biden offered empathy and promises of enduring support in response to the shock weekend assault on Israel, saying the U.S. partner must defend itself while urging against seeing Palestinian militants as reflective of the entire Palestinian cause.
“We stand with Israel, and we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, to defend itself and to respond to this attack,” Biden said in Tuesday remarks at the White House. “Our hearts may be broken, but our resolve is clear.”
The president repeatedly condemned Hamas, which led fighters in a shocking attack on Israeli towns on Oct. 7 that killed hundreds.
“The brutality of Hamas…brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS,” Biden said. “Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination…Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed, with no regard to who pays the price.”
At least 14 Americans were killed in the Hamas offensive and the group is detaining some U.S. citizens, Biden said.
Since Saturday, Israel’s military has pummeled Gaza ― the Palestinian territory where Hamas is based ― with airstrikes and pledged a larger offensive that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would “reverberate…for generations.”
Biden hinted at concerns about the civilian toll of Israel’s operations, saying he told Netanyahu that democracies like Israel and the U.S. are stronger when they follow international norms about targeting only combatants. laws of war.
“Terrorists purposely target civilians and kill them. We uphold the laws of war,” Biden said. “It matters. There’s a difference.”
From being Israel’s chief supplier of military equipment to its long-time security guarantor in a neighborhood where many question its existence, the U.S. is the country’s most important foreign friend. The Biden administration has deployed additional forces to the region to show solidarity with Israel recently, but it has ruled out the prospect of deploying American troops to participate in the fighting.
The death toll on both sides on Tuesday exceeded 1,600. Israel is widely expected to launch a ground invasion of Gaza soon.
The U.S. is working to expedite weapons transfers to Israel, a Defense Department official told reporters on Monday. Lawmakers are urging consistent demonstrations of American support for the long-time U.S. partner, with top Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives announcing on Tuesday that they will soon pass a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas.
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The GOP is seeking to exploit the crisis to bash Biden politically. Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel called the moment “a great opportunity” to call the president weak, and many candidates for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination claim Biden helped empower Hamas by failing to pressure Iran, its top backer.