U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a statement to the media this evening (Tuesday), in which he once again addressed the war in the south and reiterated his support for Israel. Just before the statement, Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris spoke again with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
"There are moments when clear evil emerges in the world. Israeli citizens are experiencing such a moment right now," said Biden. "The blood-stained hands of Hamas - an organization whose sole purpose is to kill Jews - have killed at least a thousand innocent people, including entire families, children, women who were raped, and people trapped in their homes for hours, and thousands of wounded who will carry the memory of what they endured forever. Hundreds of families are still waiting to hear about the fate of their loved ones who were abducted by Hamas - and now they face the threat of execution.
"The brutality of Hamas is reminiscent of the massacres of Daesh (ISIS). It is terrorism, but it is not new for the Jews - who have endured thousands of years of anti-Semitism and genocide attempts," he added. "At this moment, it must be clear - we stand with Israel, and we will ensure that it has everything it needs to defend itself. There is no justification for terrorism. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people - its sole reason for existence is to kill Jews; the Palestinians are just human shields for them.
"Israel has every right to respond to these unjust attacks. I discussed this with Prime Minister Netanyahu and made it clear that if such a thing were to happen in the United States, the response would be swift and powerful. I also noted that democratic countries like the United States and Israel are stronger because they respect the rule of law. Many of us know how painful it is to lose family members to terrorism. It is a horrific human tragedy.
"We will continue to stand by Israel in our opposition to hatred and terrorism. The administration has been in contact with our partners in Israel since the beginning of the crisis, providing military assistance – bolstering Iron Dome batteries and more. When Congress returns, we will ask them to act immediately. This is not a matter of politics but a matter of our world security. We know Americans are being held by Hamas, and therefore, we will also share intelligence information with Israel about ways to release captives.
"We will be Israel's back, allowing them to defend themselves," he concluded. "And to any other organization contemplating joining this war, I have only one thing to say – don't. There should be no doubt – we will be here for them. We will ensure that Israel can act to protect itself."
