‘We Mourn the Loss of Innocent Palestinian Lives’: US Focus Begins To Turn Towards Israeli Violence
Biden Warns Israel not to make mistakes made by US after 9/11
President Biden this week visited Israel this week in a show of solidarity following the Hamas attacks earlier this month.
However, Biden, his administration and other Democrats are slowly turning their attention towards Israel’s response to the violence and the growing numbers of Palestinians dying as a result.
Biden went to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli first responders, and others.
However, a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital, igniting fury around the region, as well as days of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza ahead of a planned invasion of the Palestinian territory is prompting Biden and others to look more closely at Palestinian suffering.
“We mourn the loss of innocent Palestinian lives. Like the entire world I was outraged and saddened by the enormous loss of life yesterday in the hospital in Gaza,” Biden said in Tel Aviv.
The president sought to separate Hamas —which carried out the October 7 attacks which sparked the most-recent round of violence — from Palestinian civilians.
“Vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people,” Biden said.
Biden urged Israelis at a speech in Tel Aviv to not be “consumed” by “rage” in response to the Hamas attack, and to avoid the mistakes made by the United States in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Biden traveled to Israel 10 days after Hamas militants stormed into Israel from Gaza and killed some 1,400 Israelis, most of them civilians. Israel declared war on Hamas and began a bombing campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 3,000 people so far.
Back in Washington DC, Vice President Kamala Harris sought to balance the administration's emerging dual objectives in the Middle East.
“As we have constantly made clear, our support for Israel’s security is unwavering and Israel has a right to defend itself from Hamas terrorists. And let us be clear, terrorism is never justified. And as I said yesterday, Israelis and Palestinians must have equal measures of security and prosperity,” she said, to audience applause at an event. “And I support the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination. Hamas does not represent these aspirations.”
On Capitol Hill, Democratic Rep Mark Pocan, of Wisconsin, also cautioned Israel against its “over-response” to Hamas.
“You can’t have the attack that happened to Israel by a terrorist group like Hamas. At the same time, you can’t have the over-response — the collective punishment that’s coming out of Israel back to the citizenry, the Palestinians in Gaza — who are clearly not Hamas,” Pocan said. “And yet, both are happening and we need to deal with both.
“So, I hope the president’s there to say — and look, we provide a lot of armament, we provide a lot of support, Israel’s an ally — but if you overreach and you hurt public opinion, it’s harder for us to help you,” Pocan added, speaking directly to Israelis.
Please support our work…
Please subscribe…