US President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday, October 18th, to show US support for Israel’s war against Hamas. The visit, which has been planned for several days, comes after hundreds were killed when a rocket struck a hospital in Gaza.
The American President Joe Biden met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, as soon as he arrived in Israel Wednesday morning, where he accused Hamas of bombing Al-Ahli Baptist hospital.
President Joe Biden said the United States would work with Israel to prevent civilian deaths as it pounds Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to make efforts.
“We will continue to have your back. As you work to defend your people, we will continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians,” Biden said after meeting Netanyahu’s war cabinet in Tel Aviv.
“I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team,” president Biden said earlier, during his meeting with the Israeli Prime minister, referring to Hamas.
“But there are many people out there who are not sure of what really happened, so we have to overcome a lot of things,” Biden added.
Hamas and Israel have been exchanging blame over the bombing of the hospital, Tuesday night.
The United States and Israel have been at pains to deter Israel’s declared enemies, chiefly Iran and its Lebanon-based ally Hezbollah, from escalating the conflict.
Biden was also expected to press for steps to minimize the substantial humanitarian impact of Israel’s military response on civilians and allow aid to enter the besieged Gaza Strip. “We have to bear in mind that Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people and has brought them only suffering,” Biden stated.
“Americans are grieving with you,” Biden told Netanyahu during the meeting. The US president said he was “proud” to visit Israel. “I want to say to the people of Israel, their courage, their commitment, and their bravery is stunning.”
Earlier, speaking aboard Air Force One, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden would ask Netanyahu “tough questions” about the path ahead.
However, anger over the hospital strike could undermine Biden’s visit’s broader purpose, as he tries to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from engulfing the wider Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime minister told the American President that “the civilized world” must unite against Hamas.
Biden has warned Iran and Hezbollah not to get involved in the war undergoing between Israel and Hamas and has dispatched two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean to deter them.
Kirby again said there were no plans to put US boots on the ground. Still, he added that the American military assets were in place to “demonstrate a sincere capability of protecting and defending” US national security interests.
Gabriela De La Cruz, with AFP
