President Biden on Tuesday delivered fiery remarks from the White House stating, “Let there be no doubt, the United States has Israel’s back” after what he called “sickening” atrocities by the terrorist organization Hamas.
Accompanied by Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden said the people of Israel had lived through an act of “unadulterated evil” this past weekend at the “bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas—a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.”
“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self determination,” said Biden. “Its stated purpose is the annihilation and the murder of Jewish people. They use Palestinians civilians as human shields. Hamas offers nothing but terrorism and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.”
Biden’s remarks came shortly after he ended a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday afternoon, with whom he said he’s remaining in “near constant contact.” A U.S. official told CNN that when Netanyahu brought up on the call the possibility of going into Gaza, Biden did not warn him against doing so.
“Like every nation of the world Israel has the right to respond—indeed, has a duty to respond to these vicious attacks,” Biden said during his White House speech.
Earlier on Tuesday President Biden issued a joint statement with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, vowing to support Israel in its efforts to defend itself.
In his White House remarks he stated, “We’re sending additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome,” referring to Israel’s missile defense system.
On Monday, Biden had ordered the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Mediterranean.
He said he also called on Congress “when it returns” to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners. “This is not about party or politics. It’s about the security of our world. The security of the United States of America.
Congress is in something of a state of limbo, with the House unable to vote on legislation until it elects a new Speaker after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the position.
The President also said that he instructed his national security team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis. “We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas,” said Biden.
That call from the President followed the posting of a greatly disturbing video on Telegram and verified by the Washington Post, showing that at least four Israelis who were taken hostage following Hamas’ attack Saturday were killed soon after. Hamas has additionally threatened to execute a hostage every time an Israeli airstrike hits Gazans in their homes.
Finally, Biden said the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were working with local authorities to take steps “to identify and disrupt any domestic threat that could emerge in connection with these horrific attacks.”
“Let’s be real clear: there is no place for hate in America,” Biden insisted. “Not against Jews, not against Muslims, not against anybody. What we reject is terrorism. We condemn indiscriminate evil, just as we’ve always done. That’s what America stands for.”
Israel officially declared war on Hamas on Sunday. Since Saturday’s strike by Hamas, more than 1,000 people have died and 3,400 others have been injured in Israel according to authorities there, while Palestinian authorities have said that at least 830 people have died and another 4,250 were wounded in Gaza.
Biden said at least 14 Americans were confirmed among the dead.
